Blood Sisters
by Raven of Alaska
Summary: Being re-written.
1. School's out for Summer

**Disclaimer: I don't own F.E.A.R. or the Teen Titans. Nor do I own any of the bands mentioned.**

Alma Wade walked down the long corridor of her school. She sighed with relief when she saw that there were no "populars" in this corridor. Horrible creatures, think that they are better than everyone else because they're richer or extremely beautiful. They liked to pick on some kids, and Alma was a favorite. Scientist father who was barely ever home, mother who had disappeared when she was six, supposedly dead, and the worst nightmares in existence made her a joke.

Not to mention she could set things on fire, literally. With her mind, too. Alma had discovered her powers two days before her eighth birthday. Alma secretly considered herself a freak, despite her father saying she was gifted and strongly suggesting that she was _not_ a freak. If any of the other kids knew about her powers... she couldn't imagine what that would be like. Even her friends would stay away, cast her out. One friend knew, and he thought it was awesome. He was the closest thing Alma had to a sibling. Alma wished that she had a sibling. Brother, sister, she didn't care. She just wanted someone to be in her life.

True, she had her father. However, due to his job at Armacham Technology Corporation, he was mostly always working. He saw her off to school, even drove her sometimes, but she was always alone in the evenings. Thus, at the age of fifteen, she could just cook about anything. Her friends considered her a master chef, and her dad always had something nice to say about whatever she cooked. Despite her ability to possibly become the greatest cook on Earth, or at least in Fairport, WA, possibly the West Coast, Alma was hoping that, one day, she'd play guitar in a band. Metal all the way! Though, she hadn't a clue what the band would be named, or what they'd sing about. Still though, anything was possible, right?

"Hey, Alma!" a voice cried. Oh great, Alma thought, a popular...

Turning around, Alma smiled and began to breathe easily. "Canyon! Back from Scotland at last, I see! Where's the kilt you said you'd bring back?"

"At home. I have bagpipes as well. Looking forward to being the youngest graduate in the history of Fairport High?" Canyon grinned, his blonde hair falling in front of his dark blue eyes. Standing six feet tall, he towered over Alma by 5 inches. On his left arm was tattooed the Valknut, a symbol of Odin, King of the Norse Gods. On his right arm, Mjollnir, the Hammer of the Norse God Thor, was tattooed. Below Mjollnir, his last name, Smith, was tattooed in Elder Furthark Runes.

A fan of Norse mythology, he could recite at least thirty Norse myths at any given time, and he and Alma often talked about mythology for hours. Having grown up as neighbors for nearly all their lives, they were brother and sister to each other, despite the three year age difference.

Brushing her black hair out of her face, Alma stared. Graduation had slipped her mind. "Um... mind if I get back to you on that later? I've been spacing..."

"Why, spending a lot of time in math class?"

They laughed. If it was one thing both of them couldn't stand, it was math class. Good thing was, their math finals were over, and soon they'd both be graduating. "No, just... thinking, mostly about my mom. I wish she were here to see me graduate." Canyon nodded, a look of understanding in his eyes. "So, how'd your finals go? You're lucky you got to take yours early."

"Math was bleh, got an 79.5%, though. I aced my Norwegian IV, French IV, English IV, got a high B in Biology III, aced Civil War History, and did great on my Tai Chi final. You?"

"96.3% in Math, aced French, thanks to you, did superbly in Aca Deca, you saw the medals... we placed second in Nationals for Mock Trial, got a 98% on my English IV exam, aced Ancient Runes, and performed extremely well in Drama entire class was applauding. Mrs. Folsom even smiled. Wanna get some lunch?"

"Sure."

Lunch was grilled cheese with tomato soup, with a chocolate brownie for dessert. After finishing lunch, Alma went to get the last stuff from her locker, and decided that she'd walk home. Canyon joined her, as they most always walked home together on the last day of school. After all, they were neighbors.

They walked in silence for a little bit, enjoying the clear skies, the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze that gently blew. Having survived school, they enjoyed the thought of summer, of spending some time out of school. Maybe taking a year or two off to work, then go to college.

"So, Canyon..." Alma asked, "when are you leaving for Jump City?"

"Two weeks. Who knows? Maybe I'll run into the Titans!" Canyon joked. The Teen Titans were famous, superheroes who guarded Jump City from all sorts of villains. Alma wondered if it were possible that she could run into the Titans when she visited Canyon. Then again, she wondered if it was possible he was joining the Titans. After all, unknown to everyone except her, Canyon could fly, and, as most everyone knew, was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as well as a blade master and quite a good archer... though she could beat him in an archery tournament any day.

"Two weeks. Not much time, but let's make the most of it!" Alma said optimistically.

"Ya know, Tyr's in town..." Canyon said, "and I've got tickets!" He brought two tickets from his coat pocket. "Think you can come?"

"My dad said to enjoy tonight, and the next few nights, he's going out of town... party at my place Monday. Graduation Wednesday. Then another party at your place, right?"

"Sounds like a plan. Ya know, it feels great to finally graduate. Want to play some basketball until we have to leave for the concert?"

Alma's face lit up. "Actually, I've got something better..." she said, grinning like she was insane.

"Wow... I can't believe we just did that." Canyon said, panting.

"Neither can I." Alma replied though breaths. "I thought we'd get caught. Oh, I can't wait to see Chenisce's face when she finds out her car's got a paint job!"

"Or that we finally are able to embarrass her."

"You didn't..."

"Yup. Posted the pics on Google, spread them around on a few websites, and that video mysteriously made its way to YouTube. Yeah, she's going to be embarrassed. Took forever to get into that party, though... never again. Next time we paint a car, make sure there are no rabid attack/guard dogs, okay?"

"Sure, I'll bring a shotgun too... still can't believe you did that. We still hadn't decided if it would be good to post those or not."

"You said..."

"I remember what I said. Oh well, doubt anyone from here is going to see them."

"Don't be so unsure, Alma. I just might have, well, printed some of them out and post them around the school."

Alma's jaw dropped. "W-when, how? I didn't see anything posted!"

"You didn't look hard enough. However, I think her days as a popular are at an end. Leaving Ryan single..." Canyon said, chanting the last three words.

Alma's face was redder than a tomato. Whether from blushing or from anger, neither of them could tell. "You! You planned that? Or just a stroke of... oh great, look who it is ," Alma said, glaring down the street.

"Smith!" a voice cried out. Chenisce stood, Ryan and a couple of her friends at her side. "Have you seen these! Hanging around school, I'm a laughing stock!"

"Haven't seen any pictures. Too excited about tonight Tyr's in town, you know."

"No, I don't. You wouldn't have to know who took these pictures, do you?"

"Sorry Chenisce, I don't have a clue. Hope you find whoever took that picture. Au revoir!"

"You got plans or something? We're not done yet..." Chenisce said coolly.

"Well, I am. I've got a game of basketball to get to. Try catching me before I move. Later."

"You're walking out on us, some of the most popular kids in town, for that, that whore's daughter?"

Alma's temper flared. Canyon's jaw set, hard. Neither of them said anything. Then, in a matter of seconds, it happened. Canyon lunged, and Alma quickly restrained him before he got sent to jail for beating Chenisce to a bloody pulp. Chenisce stepped behind Ryan, who glared intensely at Canyon. "C'mon, Canyon, let's just go. She's not worth it."

"I know she's not, Alma. You are, though."

With that, they left, leaving behind pissed off populars, and one scared popular. The walk home was silent. Alma and Canyon were furious. At least, no more populars to deal with in school. That was a good thought. When they reached their homes, however, Canyon's face lightened considerably, and he laughed, much to the confusion of Alma.

"You okay? I don't know what's funny... could you enlighten me?" Alma asked, one eyebrow lifted in confusion. Canyon could be random at some times...

"I just realized, that video, it's been on the internet for a while... just imagine if we could show it to her parents. Completely by "accident", of course, just imagine how much trouble she'd be in. Too bad I lost the hard copy." A hand came out of nowhere and smacked the backside of his head.

"It doesn't matter whether you have the hard copy or not, it's on the internet. Hundreds, if not thousands of people have seen it by now. C'mon, you promised me a basketball game."

After a couple of hours, it was time to get ready for the concert. Alma got her favorite band shirt, Heidevolk, and some black pants. Canyon got a Tyr t-shirt, black pants, and shook his head a little. Alma was going to wait until the concert started to get her hair messy. They both put on black sunglasses, and walked out of their houses. They got to Beckett Hall, where the concert was being held. Surprisingly, they were first in line.

The bouncer came out to get some air, and they talked for a while. The man's name was Rowdy Betters, and the ticket holder was named Redd Jankownski. Rowdy and Redd didn't like each other, that much was clear. Redd, as they heard, was almost always complaining about something. From there, talk turned to music and sports. Before they knew it, time was up. Soon, a crowd of hundreds was inside, everyone ready for a great night of headbanging. A couple of local bands started out, then came Alestorm, Heidevolk, and finally, Tyr. The concert was great.

Alma woke late the next morning, happy and cheerful. Then she promptly fell off the couch. After getting back up, she went to go take a shower and made some breakfast. Time seemed to seep by slowly, as if the morning didn't want to end. Alma was content with that, since she felt like relaxing, hot cup of spiced chai tea in her hand, plate of bacon, sunny side up eggs, and buttered toast in the other.

Time passed, and there was no sign of Chenisce, Ryan, or any other populars. Canyon was busy doing, well, whatever he was doing. Alma had a party, and, despite how small it was, it was fun. Canyon ended up getting a pie shoved in his face, and then started the great food fight war. An eight graduate all out food fight war... what could go wrong? Was it mentioned that most the participants were eighteen to nineteen, excluding Alma?

That had been a mess to clean up, both on the floor and in the hair of everyone involved. Don't mind the dirty clothes, it was a celebration, who cares? Besides, anyone who knows about the Wade parties knows to bring an extra pair of clothes or two... for Harlan, though, he'd lock himself up in his room during the food fight wars, praying for a swift end. After everyone had taken a shower, switched clothes, and got their dirty clothes into the wash, everyone settled down for movies, games, and popcorn. Life was peaceful, in those moments. Laughter could be heard, and if one was to walk by, it would seem that, in a world filled with villains, war, famine, suffering, politics, and paparazzi, there was at least one bright spot. However...

_**Armacham Technology Corporation Secret Experimentation Facility, Giza, Egypt**_

"Her powers are growing, Harlan. We need you to bring her in."

"She's my daughter, Aristide, and she's not going to be part of your telepathic warfare experiment."

"Be reasonable, Harlan. She's one of the most powerful pyrokenetics on the planet, Project Fallout could proceed faster than expectations if she joined."

"No, Aristede, and that's the last I want to hear of it." Harlan boarded the jet that would take him back to Fairport, to Alma, and away from the annoying Aristide.i nodded. "Then maybe he should be.. removed." All Genevieve did was nod silently, a smile forming on her lips.


	2. The Calm before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or F.E.A.R., I swear. Those belong to DC and Monolith, respectively. Halo reference in here! Also, the ringtone for Alma's cell phone is the Alma's Music Box theme from Project Origin. Thanks to Alardem for reviewing, and reminding me how to spell Aristide's name!(AN: I know that Alice is Alma's sister/half sister in the game, but please bear with me.)**

"The flight should be in Fairport in three hours, there's been a delay at the pit-stop in Houston. Get something to eat, I'll be home before you know it." Harlan said in a warm, kind voice. The delay was an engine having problems working. It wouldn't start up. Engineers promised to have it taken care of as soon as possilbe, but Harlan had his doubts. "On second thought, I might be here overnight. Take care of yourself, Alma, I should be home by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, butterfly. Bye."

"Bye" Alma said as she hung up. Stupid company jet, it had broken down before, same engine, couldn't they just get a new one? Sighing, she went over to the nearby diner to get a double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings and a cherry milkshake.

After finishing her meal, Alma headed home, deciding to drop by Canyon's and say good-bye for what could be the last time. He was leaving in a couple of days, and neither Canyon nor Alma knew if they'd see each other during the time he was busy packing, saying his good-byes, and giving speeches at the numerous Creative Writing meetings. He promised to be at her birthday party tomorrow, but she just didn't know...

The walk home was quiet and uneventful, except for a few ravens cawing as they sat, perched upon a neon red rooftop. As the sun set, the sky was painted in a bright orange, with some shades of purple, pink, and red dotting the sky. _Just like last year_, Alma thought, hands in her pockets as she walked. _God is quite the painter. Is this what I'll be doing tomorrow, staring at the sky as my birthday passes me by?_

Heading over to Canyon's, Alma noticed it was dark. _Probably out to dinner_, she thought, heading back to her house. As she went to bed, she prayed that she would see her best friend again. The last thought that entered her mind before she dozed off was that she hoped her father would make it home safely.

Her prayers were answered when her father gently shook her awake. "Daddy!" Alma yelped, hugging her father hard. "Welcome home."

Her father smiled, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. Unnoticed by Alma, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Meanwhile...

The cave was silent, no creature dwelling within it. Sitting on a rock near the entrance of the cave was Canyon, who surveyed the surrounding area, looking for any signs of life. Finding none, he opened up his Sony VAIO Labtop and clicked the left hand bottom corner of the screen. A red, black, and purple T popped up. "Connection established. Live feed processing in three, two, one, Live feed in now streaming," the computer assistant, which he named Cortana

"Area secure, battery has 3 hours until it needs to be recharged," Canyon said, partially to the computer, partially to himself.

"Line secure. Good to hear from you, Canyon. It's been a while. We were beginning to worry." Robin paused for a couple of seconds, waiting for Canyon to respond.

"Been really busy, graduation and all. My parents aren't too happy with me continuing hero work, but they support me."

"That's good. I have a bit of bad news. The H.I.V.E. Academy attacked Titans East Tower in Steel City and kidnapped Bumblebee and Aqualad. Could you run a scan of H.I.V.E. databanks and find where they're being held?"

"Already on it," Canyon replied. A few minutes of uneasy silence passed before Canyon spoke again. "I think I have something. Operation Black Hook. Says that captives were acquired and moved to an unspecified location. Interrogation to begin in three days. When were they captured?"

"Sometime between 7 and noon this morning. Communications were knocked out before Titans East could let us know they were under attack. The battle lasted a while, but they used sleeping gas and, while Titans East was out, only kidnapped Bumblebee and Aqualad and recovered their troops. What do they want to interrogate Bumblebee and Aqualad for?"

"Doesn't say. We've got three days until the interrogations start. Any ideas why they'd want them?"

"None. You're in Fairport, right?"

"I'm sitting next to a cave in the woods around Fairport. As for internet, there's a camp ground nearby that provides some pretty strong internet signals. My flight is in two days. Alma's birthday party is later tonight." Canyon sighed, rubbing his forehead. My best guess is that the H.I.V.E. have taken Bumblebee and Aqualad to another underwater base, probably a couple of miles off the coast of Steel City Bay."

"Cyborg came to the same conclusion. Speedy, Mas Y Menos, Herald, Jerhico, and Pantha got the Titans East T-Sub up and running a little while ago. They've been searching for about thirty minutes and have found nothing."

"Herald, Jericho, and Pantha joined Titans East?"

"No, they're actually part of Titans North, but are helping with the search. We've been in contact with other Titans to see if they've heard from Bumblebee or Aqualad, nothing. Interrogating Blood's former minions turned up nothing."

"We'll find them. The H.I.V.E. won't get away with this," Canyon said, his face grim. "Hopefully, the underwater search will be successful and we can get Karen and Garth out unscratched. This is going to put a damper on my evening."

"Don't let it," Robin said, smiling. "After all, you've got a birthday party to attend to, grad student. Congratulations, by the way. Who's party is it?"

"It's Alma Wade's 16th birthday party. She's been my best friend since childhood."

"Alma… I remember you talking about her. Have you told her yet?"

"You're giving me permission?" Canyon asked, failing to mask his excitement.

"We talked for a while here in Jump City and decided that you can tell her, since she's been your best friend since childhood. Only tell her though."

"Got it, she'll be psyched! Too bad she doesn't want to join, eh?"

"Yeah," Robin replied, "from what you've said, she's pretty powerful; even though she hates her powers, you could hint at offering her a spot… what does she want to do, anyway?"

"Alma wants to become a Professional Chef. Maybe open up a restaurant or two. Alma's going to do great, I know it."

"You're always optimistic," Robin stated in a matter-of-factly voice. "Have fun at the party, grad student."

"Will do Robin. If I… wait, students! Robin, weren't Bumblebee and Aqualad "students" at the H.I.V.E. Academy when Brother Blood was headmaster?"

Robin resisted the urge to slap himself. "They were working to bring Blood down, destroyed his first hideout, and then destroyed his second one. We nearly drowned. How could I have forgotten that?"

"Hey, I forgot too. Is Blood still in jail?"

"Checking National Jail Databanks…," Robin's face turned to a frown and he grimaced as he read the next part, "Blood broke out a couple of months ago, led a revolution that slaughtered a lot of guards. Roarsach and Nite Owl put down the revolution, but not before Blood and a couple of goons escaped."

"I'll keep an eye out for suspicious activity, and keep searching the H.I.V.E. databanks. That chip we recovered last summer really helps. Surprised Blood doesn't know we have it."

"Maybe he does, and is leading us into a trap. Be careful, Smith, I'll see you at the airport in two days. I'll keep you informed if anything comes up."

"Same here, Robin. Smith over and out." The connection was terminated, and Canyon shut off his laptop and put it in his backpack. The meeting had taken 45 minutes, but only felt like a few seconds. Canyon headed back to Fairport, and over to where they'd be setting up Alma's surprise party.

Alma spent a couple of hours at Greg's Game Store, which actually was part store, part arcade, part laser tag arena, though the arena was currently closed due to reconstruction. She had been playing arcade games for the past couple of hours. The store owner and her father were close friends, so she got to play arcade games and have as many laser tag matches she wanted, free of charge on her birthday.

She was playing alone, however. Most of her friends had said happy birthday, but were busy. Canyon hadn't been heard from, and her father was busy at a meeting at the Armacham Headquarters. She was left alone. On her birthday, of all days.

Alma sighed, concentrating on the game she was playing. Apocalypse IV, the last game in the Apocalypse series. She was on the level, Last Stand, in which the United Survivor Alliance was fending off hordes of mutant alien warriors. Time seemed to slow down as the hordes came towards the defenses. The timer off to the lower left hand corner ticked slower than molasses on a cold Alaskan winter morning. _90 seconds left..._ it seemed like 90 hours.

Alma glared at the aliens, as if the hordes would be driven back by her glare. It certainly drove others away from her immediate vicinity. _45 seconds..._ a last, desperate charge. Tanks came over the hill, launching missiles, some that tore down parts of the defenses._30 seconds..._ the tank lay in ruin, as troops poured passed it, firing wildly. _15 seconds..._ stragglers took cover, firing back over ruins of vehicles. Alma opened fire at an alien who had peeked out from behind the ruined tank. Her aim was true, blowing the head off the unfortunate creature. Victory flashed across the screen, and the text began to roll, "documenting" the end of the alien dictatorship, the end of the war, and the bright future that lay ahead for the survivors.

Her cell phone rang, its familiar, comforting tune pleasant to her ears. "Hello," Alma said cheerily as she opened her phone. "I'm at Greg's Game Store. Just beat Apocalypse IV. Yes I am actually. Sure, I'll be outside. See ya in a couple of minutes!"

Alma's father picked her up moments later. It was late in the evening, nearly six-thirty. Alma's stomach growled and her father smiled. Pulling up to Pop's Old-Time Diner, Alma and her father got out and headed inside. Harlan led her to the back room, which was pitch black. What happened next nearly gave her a heart attack.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" yelled 25 voices, of friends and family, her family being her father and cousin, Alice Wade. Streamers fell from the roof, and Alma stood, her smile growing bigger by the second. Among the faces in the crowd were Canyon, Charlotte, Shirley, Robet, Paul, Jayson, Jaynette, Kera Stokes, and Michael.

The party lasted well into the night. There was a double decked chocolate cake with a replica of the Eiffel Tower in the middle, with different structures, such as Big Ben and Edinburgh Castle adorning it. Paris, London, Edinburgh, the three cities she wanted to visit the most. In an envelope were also tickets, for her, her father, and cousin for a month long trip to Edinburgh, London, and Paris. She also received, among other things, a Xbox 360 Elite, complete with four controllers, two year-long subscription cards to Live, a paintball gun, a wooden set of Teutonic Rune chips, and a book on Norse Mythology. As the party died down and people began to leave, Canyon pulled Alma aside.

"Happy Birthday," he said, handing her a box covered in dark red paper. Inside was a small painting of Alma's favorite Norse God, Heimdall. "Not telling,'" Canyon said before Alma got a chance to ask.

"Thank you," Alma said, holding the painting of Heimdall carefully. _Where the heck did he find this in Fairport?_Alma wondered to herself.

"That painting isn't the only reason I brought you over here, Alma," Canyon stated matter-of-factly. He paused for a minute, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "For the past six years, I've been working with the Teen Titans."

Alma laughed, thinking it was a joke. She stopped when she noticed Canyon's face was serious. "You're not kidding..." Alma whispered, nearly drowned out by the loud music.

"No, I'm not. I would have told you sooner, but Robin thought it should be kept secret. He and the rest of Titans West decided that, since you're my best friend in the whole wide world, I can tell you. Only you, though. My parents already know."

"So... do you fight in battles, fly the wounded to the hospitals, or fly villains to jail? Do you fight? Do you..." Alma asked, words flying out of her mouth at a hundred words per minute. Her mind couldn't wrap around the fact that her best friend for life, her non-blood brother, was a Titan.

"I fight in battles mostly. Afterwards, I fly the wounded to Jump City Hospital, along with Raven, and the others take the villain, or villains, to jail. Sometimes, I hack into computers or scan the city for any hidden threat. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, we give tours of the Tower. Little kids love to see the evidence room. We're even thinking about starting an exercise class in the training room."

"Oh..." was all Alma was able to say, her mouth refusing to stay shut. Her jaw felt heavy, as if it wanted to lay on the ground. "So... if I were to visit Jump, could I..."

"Sure, just call and let me know ahead of time." Canyon replied. "We're going to be busy over the next week or so. I can't say why, but I most likely will be out of contact for a while." Noticing Alma's face becoming paler, Canyon asked, "Alma, you okay?"

To which her reply was to hug him as hard as she could and hold back tears, her voice filled with concern. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will, Alma, I promise. I'll try to e-mail you weekly, and call every now and then. If you need to, you're always welcome to stay at Titans Tower for a while. We've got a few guests room; one could become permanent if you decide to join."

"Maybe I will." Alma replied. "Wait… did you just ask me to join the Titans?"

"Not exactly, but the option is there, if you ever decide you want to fight. You'd make a great addition."

"I can't use my powers for long without them getting out of control," Alma reminded him. "I'd be more of a hindarance than a help," she stated bitterly.

"I've talked with Raven, and she'd be more than willing to help you gain control of your powers," Canyon cheerfully said.

"How?" Alma inquired.

"Meditation."

The night passed on, with only a few friends at Alma's all-nighter birthday bash. Time passed faster than she wanted it to, and before she knew it, Alma was saying good-bye to Canyon as he left towards Jump City.

"Good luck and godspeed," she whispered as the plane disappeared among the horizon. Like that, her best friend was gone, and Alma suddenly felt very alone. Silently, she turned and walked out of the airport, the sun's rays bathing the land in a golden glow.

**Next chapter is almost done, I promise! Just give me a day or two. I don't think I'll try writing two chapters at the same time again. Or at least for a while. Things heat up in the next chapter, and Alma's life will change... forever.**


	3. Flight to Safety

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or F.E.A.R., they belong to DC Comics and Monolith, respectively. I'm wondering if I should change this to just a Teen Titans fanfic since there isn't going to be much F.E.A.R. elements aside from Alma and, in later chapters, Armacham will play a huge role. What do you think? Please let me know via private message or review, whichever is convenient for you. The action is heating up, and tragedy is about to strike. Welcome to the next chapter of… Blood Sisters!**

The day after Canyon left, Alma went on a bike ride throughout Fairport. It was another sunny day, with a gentle gust of wind blowing. Alma decided to go swimming in Lake Loktòrr. After a couple of hours, Alma went home and made lunch.

Harlan trudged in the door not long after Alma. He'd just stormed out of Armacham Technology Corporation Headquarters after a long, tiring, seemingly endless argument with Genevieve Aristide on the subject of Alma. Harlan knew what was coming next, he just hoped Alma would be safe.

"Olive?" Alma offered, nearly startling him. Harlan smiled as he grabbed a couple of olives from the plate. Alma sat down next to her father and put an arm around his shoulders. "You look tired," Alma remarked as she scanned her father's face.

"_Very_ long day," Harlan replied, putting an emphasis on very. "There's going to be a meeting here tonight, do you have anywhere you can go or hang out for a couple of hours?"

"Kera's been wanting to go skateboarding. We could do that for a while then probably go play basketball."

"Ok. Call and make sure Kera can hang out."

"Way ahead of you." Alma replied. A few minutes later, Alma gave her father a thumbs up.

Harlan gave Alma a hug as she left. Unknown to Alma, there was a sad look on her father's face. Harlan told her to be home between 10:45 and 11. Alma wondered what the meeting was about, but kept the questions to herself.

_6: 45 P.M._

Alma and Kera met up at the skate park and took turns practicing Ollies and other tricks on the half-pipe.

_8 P.M. _

Harlan slowly sipped his coffee and sighed. He was staring at a picture of his missing wife, a woman by the name of Arella. She said that she would return after helping her other child. Speaking of that other child…

"_Just now, the Teen Titans have captured Triton, and are escorting him to prison. The fight between heroes and villain started about an hour ago, and left most of Jump City unharmed." _The news reporter said. _"This is the most recent attack in a stream of attacks on the Titans that started in upper New York last month. It has been reported that a couple of days ago, two Titans were kidnapped during a battle at their Tower in Steel City. The Titans have not responded to any calls. All we know is that something big is going down, and the Teen Titans will be there to stop it." _

Harlan took another sip, finishing his coffee and tucking the photo of Arella in an envelope, along with a picture of her holding Alma during her sixth birthday party, three weeks before she disappeared. He then inserted a flash drive into the side of his laptop and started writing.

_10 P.M._

Alma and Kera had decided to take part in a small skateboarding contest, which was nearing its end. Only a couple of competitions remained, and then the ceremony, which would take about 20 minutes. They were entered in the tag-team trick portion, and were in the finals, against, of all people, Chenisce and Ryan. Once they won, it would prove that popularity isn't everything.

The door flung open with a_ bang!_ Replica troops flooded in, surrounding Harlan, who relaxed into his recliner. "So it's come to this, has it, Vaneck?"

"Where is she, Harlan?" Vaneck asked, aiming his submachine-gun at him. "Maybe you didn't hear me," Vaneck said after Harlan gave no reply. Walking over to where Harlan was sitting, he dragged Harlan to his feet and punched him in the gut with the butt of his gun.

Harlan collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for air. "Never," he said, trying his best to stand. A foot collided with his face, breaking his nose and causing blood to splatter everywhere.

"Where is she?" Vaneck asked, a sick grin plastered on his face. "C'mon, Harlan, I have respect for you, so I'll make you a deal. Tell us where she is, and you will suffer no more."

"Never!" Harlan yelled as he leapt up from the floor and took a swing at Vaneck, who seemed surprised that Harlan was standing. The punch connected, sending Vaneck stumbling backwards, but causing Harlan to fall forwards.

Harlan heard his ribs crack as Vaneck kicked him a couple of times. "Where is she?" Vaneck asked, pressing the cold steel barrel of his gun against Harlan's head.

Harlan looked up at Vaneck with a defeated face. "Asia, she's in Asia."

"Asia?" Vaneck asked unbelievingly. "What is she doing there?"

"She wanted to live as a monk for a few years. I'm not sure where she went, only that she's happy with what she's doing."

"Thank you," Vaneck replied, pulling the trigger. "Let's go, men. We got a girl to catch."

10:55 P.M.

Alma and Kera won first place. Chenisce and Ryan were pissed, but walked away from the competition honorably. Alma looked at her watch and frowned. "I'll see you tomorrow; I've got to get home. Night!" Alma yelled as she jumped on her skateboard and left. Luckily, she'd get home a little later than her dad had asked, but the meeting would probably be just getting out anyways, or they'd be kicking back and catching up…

The watch read 11:05 P.M. when she got home. The door was open, and there was only one light on. That was a sign that the meeting was out, and somebody had forgotten to close the door. Or it was so warm that the door was open to let some cold air in. What awaited inside was worse than she could have expected. There was complete silence, and a mess everywhere. The T.V. was left on, just some late night news, and the forecast for next week, which seemed to remain sunny for a while. It wasn't until Alma stumbled over a lump on the floor and fell to the ground that she screamed.

In front of her eyes, her father's corpse laid still, blank eyes staring into the roof, blood protruding from the bullet hole in his forehead. She wept, shaking in misery, cradling the body of her father in her arms. She wanted to call the police, but couldn't move. Even if she got the strength to move, there was a lump in her throat that only allowed whimpers and sobs to get through.

Time was irrelevant and stood still as Alma finally got the strength to move. Gently, she laid her father's corpse on the ground, and closed his eyes, putting the broken glasses on his face one more time, as if it might bring him back. Slowly, Alma moved towards the phone. However, the phone lay in ruin, the cords having been cut. Beside where the phone was lay an envelope, unsealed, with her name on it. She picked up the envelope and looked inside, searching for what she hoped would be a clue as to who did this. Inside were two pictures and a flash drive with a note.

Alma, the note said, check file Icarus. Love, Daddy.

Inserting the flash drive into the computer, which was near where her father's corpse lay, Alma opened up the drive and clicked on the Icarus file. A small video popped up, with what could be the last moments of her father's life.

"Alma," he said gently, taking the glasses off and rubbing his temples, "there's no easy way for me to explain this. If you've gotten this message, that means I'm dead and you found the envelope. Besides the flash drive and note, there are two pictures, one with your mother, Arella, and another with her holding you on your sixth birthday. These are the only pictures of your mother that I could find. I'm sure there are more in storage, but leave those alone for now."

"I think you should know the truth about your mother and what happened to her. She was born and raised in New York City. After running away from her abusive parents at the tender age of fifteen, she ran into the devil's cult. The devil being Trigon. They tricked her with promises of a family, and through their treachery, your mother was raped by Trigon and your older half-sister was conceived. Arella tried committing suicide, but was stopped by Azar, who promised to help her. After giving birth, your mother was separated from her daughter and stayed for two years to silently watch over her."

"Desiring to come back to Earth, your mother was allowed to come back to Earth, and the rest is history. Not long after we met, we married and you were conceived. Flash forward to three weeks after your sixth birthday. Your mother had been contacted by Azar, who needed help teaching your half-sister. Arella said she would be back, even if it took a couple of years. That was the last I saw of her. I don't know whether she is alive or not, but I know her older daughter is."

"As for me, Armacham was my destroyer. They want to use you for telekinetic warfare experiments. I refused, and they decided to kill me. Avoid any Armacham personnel, with the exception of Bill Moody. He was against it, but said nothing. He might be able to help you. Don't contact him yet. Let the situation die down. Most likely Armacham will probably have cleaned my body up by now and listed me as 'missing'. If not, they will be at our home soon, and you need to listen clearly to this next part."

"Your half-sister may not know you exist. However, she is on Earth. Travel to Jump City and seek out the Teen Titans. Tell them that your mother was Arella. They'll be able to help you, though how much I'm not sure. Let them know about Armacham, about Project Harbinger, which is on this drive. Stay safe. There are tickets for you to board the Yoeseff Monorail tomorrow at noon. It will take you to Jump. Until then, stay out of sight. In your room I've packed some clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, some books and CDs for you in your Legolas suitcase. Be safe butterfly, I love you."

The video cut out, and Alma had a tear falling down her cheeks. Armacham killed her father, the Teen Titans would help her find her sister. All she had to go on was her mother's name. Arella… she'd get to Jump City, find the Titans, and find the sister that, until now, she never knew existed. Taking the flash drive out and storing it in the envelope, along with the note and two pictures that were already in there, Alma bolted for her room, found the suitcase, and left. She was in the bushes across the street when a van with the Armacham logo pulled up. They didn't see her, and she watched as they went into the house with a body bag, mop, and bucket. They came out with the bag full, the corpse of her father stored inside. The mop was dark red, and she suspected the bucket was red with blood on the inside.

That night she slept under a lunch table at the park. At first light, she left, heading towards the train depot. Hiding out in an abandoned tool shed for a couple of hours, she crossed the road to the depot at 11:25 A.M. and boarded the train at 11:30. The train arrived in Jump City around 3:45 in the afternoon. Alma got off the train and headed out of the depot. During the trip she had tried her best to conceal her misery, to great effect. Nobody looked at her or asked if she was okay. She had cried herself to sleep last night, and was drained of energy by the long train ride. In her suitcase, she found out, her dad had stashed some bank information, as well as a thousand dollars hard cash. Keeping that fact to herself, Alma had bought a big breakfast on the train, the proceeded to read _Shadow of the Giant_, a book by her favorite science fiction author, Orson Scott Card.

Back to her situation: she was in Jump City with only the name of her mother, two pictures, a note, and a flash drive. She didn't know the way to Titans Tower, just that it sat in the middle of the bay. Taking a right, she headed down Clark Street and off into Jump City. After running into some friendly strangers, she was informed that she was heading in the wrong direction for the bay. Retracing her steps, Alma took a right on the corner of Clark and Burke, crossed the road at the walkway in between Burke and Roosevelt, and kept heading forward, passing shops, restaurants, and a park where some kids were playing football.

People started screaming and running the opposite way. What's going on? Alma wondered as she stood, cementing herself to the ground. Maybe some villain was attacking, and the Titans would show up? An explosion confirmed her theory, as a large man, covered in a red suit chuckled and said, "What's wrong? Is Adonis too much for this pitiful city?" his voice full of arrogance. He growled seductively and licked his lips as he spotted Alma, who nearly puked in revulsion. "Hey pretty, want to have some fun with Adonis?" He walked forward, closing the distance between him and the disgusted Alma.

A bird-a-rang flew out of the sky and knocked Adonis in the head. "Leave her alone, Adonis!" Robin yelled, his bowstaff extended. Alma looked and saw the Titans lined up on a roof, glaring at Adonis. Alma looked for one particular face…

"Alma?" Canyon asked as he got a better look. "Distract Adonis, I'll get Alma." With that, he jumped off the roof before Robin could say his catchphrase. The others, though wondering what had made Canyon decide to take charge, attacked Adonis while Canyon got Alma out of harm's way.

"It's a nice surprise, didn't expect to see you so soon. Are you okay?" Canyon asked.

"No," Alma's voice trembled. She then proceeded to inform him of what happened.

Meanwhile…

"Where's Canyon?" Cyborg asked. "He's never this long," he commented as he shot Adonis in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Turning his gun back into a fist, Cyborg lunged forward and delivered an uppercut to Adonis's jaw.

"Maybe she was paralyzed with fear at the stupidity which is Adonis?" Raven replied seriously, eyes narrowed in thought. "On the other hand, she might have fainted and Canyon is taking her to the hospital." Adonis wrapped his arms around Raven.

"Do you like how I feel, baby?" Adonis asked, sniffing Raven's neck.

Raven, disgusted by his perverted tone and thoughts, she'd unfortunately read his mind, broke free and continued to vent her fury on Adonis, who ended up cringing away in fear as she continued.

Robin came in with a flying kick, sending Adonis down the street, where Starfire blasted him with an energy bolt and knocked him out.

"Nice one, Starfire," Robin complemented his girlfriend. "Canyon!" Robin yelled out. The Titans went quiet for a moment and heard sobs. Following the sounds, they found an unexpected sight.

The lady, who was wearing a dirty, green long sleeved shirt and tan shorts had her face buried into Canyon's neck and was crying. Hard. Canyon's arms were wrapped around her tightly, and the Titans heard Canyon whisper, "You're safe here. They'll pay, I promise." He sounded grave, but strong and protective. "Let's go home," Canyon said, "hold on tight." Noticing the Titans, he asked, "Can one of you get her suitcase? Meet you back at the Tower."

"What just happened?" Beast Boy asked. "Who was that girl? How'd Canyon know her?"

"I don't know, Beast Boy, but we'll find out. Let's get Adonis to jail then get some pizza and head home."

_Back at the Tower_

"Alma, the guest room isn't ready yet. You can have mine for now."

"W-what about you?" Alma inquired.

"I'll sleep on the couch for now. You can't convince me otherwise. Take a nap, I'll explain things to the Titans when they get back. Put the envelope here on my desk, top drawer. It'll be a good way to keep track of it. Sleep well, Alma."

"I will, Canyon." Alma replied as he headed out. After the door closed, Alma took a deep breath of relief. She plopped herself down on the bed, not even bothering to get under the sheets. It was so warm, so cozy, so soft, unlike the dirt she had previously slept on. Even for one night, that had been horrible. She drifted off to a dreamless sleep, one thought floating through her mind. _I'm safe_.

Alma didn't know how wrong she was.


	4. The Sibling she's always wanted

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or F.E.A.R. Also, I've moved this out of the Teen Titans/F.E.A.R. Crossover section for the time being. This is going to be mainly a Teen Titans story, with Alma and Armacham. Still a crossover, just moving it... for now.**

"This is going to be hard to explain," Canyon muttered to nobody in particular. He leaned against the wall opposite the big windows in the Tower's Common Room, which was devoid of any life except his at the moment. The sound of footsteps alerted him that the Titans were returning from taking Adonis to jail.

The doors to the Common Room opened and the curious Titans stepped through. They had a ton of questions, to which they _were_ going to get answers. "Canyon," Robin called out, not bothering to look behind him.

"Right here, Robin. No need to shout." Canyon replied as he took a sip of herbal tea. He'd explain the situation the best he could, even if it was hard to believe that the kind, generous, hard working Mr. Wade was dead. Harlan Wade dead, murdered by the very company that he worked for. The company that was now hunting Alma. Secret projects, conspiracy, murder. It would be a lot to take in and explain, but for Alma, he'd do it. "Alma's sleeping, in case you're wondering."

"Alma... your friend Alma? You didn't say that she was going to visit. Is last second, don't you agree?" Robin asked, confused.

"This... was unplanned and unexpected. Alma needs our help. There's been a cleverly concealed murder in Fairport. She needs our protection. We _can't_ turn her away, or send her anywhere. She has to stay _here._

The Titans were still, their attention fully focused on Canyon. After a few seconds of uneasy silence, Raven spoke up, asking the question that everyone was thinking, "Who was murdered, and by who?"

A lump formed in Canyon's throat as he began to answer. The next two words would shake the Titans to their core. "Her father," Canyon informed them.

The Titans gasped, each one of them knowing how Alma felt. They each had lost a parent, or parents. Robin's parents had died during an "accident" at the circus. Along with the Batman, he later found out the accident was set up by a local crime lord. Beast Boy's parents died in a boating accident.

Raven lost her mother to her demonic father, Trigon. Cyborg lost his mother to an explosion at STAR Labs. Though both of the detested, Raven outright hating, their fathers, the felt sympathy for Alma.

Robin's eyes narrowed and he inquired, "Who killed him?"

"The same company that he was working for. Armacham Technology Corporation." Canyon replied icily.

The words had barely left his mouth when Cyborg asked, disbelievingly, "You mean the government contracted, Fairport based, making the future better for you Armacham?"

"Yup, the one and the same. It seemed that they wanted to use Alma for an experiment in telekinetic/pyrokenetic warfare. Harlan disagreed with them, and they killed him. Alma discovered her father's corpse when she got home from a skateboarding competition, and got out of the house right before Armacham's cleaning crew got there. Any bit of evidence has most likely been washed away. Since Armacham provides weapons to the government, cleaned up their dirty work, and have a reputation as a respectable business, we are going to have trouble pinning the murder of Harlan Wade on them. Until then, we need to keep Alma safe."

"Since she is staying here, shouldn't we be getting the guest bedroom ready? That way she will have her own bed?" Starfire asked. The others nodded and left the common room. Robin smiled at his girlfriend. She was always thinking of other people.

The guest room was vacuumed, dusted, and decorate with red wallpaper that Canyon knew Alma would like. After the bed was rolled out, sheets put on, and pillows fluffed, courtesy of Starfire, the Titans stepped back and gazed at the room. It looked peaceful, inviting, and was decorated in Alma's favorite color. The room looked better than it had in years.

Beast Boy reflected on the star covered ceiling, which reminded him of this room's last resident, a blonde geomancer who stole and broke his heart. "Terra," Beast Boy muttered quietly, so that the others didn't hear him. _How could the others forget, how could they do this? To give the room to a total stranger..._ it upset him that Terra's room was just being redone, wiping away almost any trace that she had been there. True, she had betrayed them, but in the end sacrificed herself to save the Titans and the city. A year ago, when the Titans returned from fighting the Brotherhood of Evil in Paris, Terra returned, without a clue who she really was. Things change, she had told him. It hurt him more than any injury to hear her say that. He had accepted it, but he thought of her constantly.

"Beast Boy, you coming?" Robin asked, poking his head inside the room. The changeling nodded, leaving the room, and any thoughts of Terra, behind. "Meeting in the Common Room in ten minutes, by the way."

_Another meeting?_ "Got it, Robin." Beast Boy replied, heading to his room. Feeling the need to empty his bladder, he made his way over to the bathroom. Upon entering said bathroom, he collided with the newest resident of Titans Tower. "Sorry, uh, Alma. I'm Beast Boy, by the way. I thought Canyon said you were sleeping?"

"Just woke up. Couldn't sleep well." Alma replied, not feeling up to mention the nightmares she had. Alma left, determined to find the way to the Common Room and hopefully get something to eat. Realizing she didn't know the way to the Common Room, she decided to wait for the green teen to get out of the bathroom.

Of course, Beast Boy was happy to escort her to the Common Room, where a meeting was about to begin. Robin turned to glare at Beast Boy, who had taken his time getting there, only to put on a smile and friendly face when he saw Alma. "Just in time," Robin said, "the meeting's about to begin. You must be Alma," he stated, extending his right arm. "I'm Robin, nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. The Titans then introduced themselves, having no clue that Alma already knew who they were, having read articles about them over the years.

"I'm Cyborg, technical genius of the Titans. See you've already met our resident prankster."

"Hello, friend! I am Starfire of Tamaran. It is very nice to meet you!"

Raven stared at Alma, noticing something was... familiar about this girl. "I'm Raven."

"It's very nice to meet you all," Alma said, a smile forming on her face. Her stomach growled, and she blushed a little.

"Figured you might be hungry," Canyon stated from the kitchen. "Got turkey casserole ready, along with a side of cheese and some orange juice. Your favorite meal, if I recall."

"You know me too well, Canyon," Alma replied, smiling.

"I should, we've been best friends for as long as I can remember!" Canyon said, laughing. Placing the plate and glass of juice on the table, Canyon went and joined the others, who were gathered in front of the huge TV screen. "Bon appitiete, Alma."

"Merci beacoup." came the reply.

The screen flashed white for a second, then Speedy's face showed. "I've got some bad news, guys. We... we found Aqualad. He's dead. Before he died, he said that Bumblebee was taken to the Big Apple for processing. Not sure what he meant by processing, but we know where Bee is now. We've got the rest of Titans North here, and are preparing for an assault."

"Killed? I thought they were going to interrogate them?"

"That's what the database said, seems their interrogation is extremely brutal. They were going to interrogate him further, but we intervened, and he died in Pantha's arms. We're going to attack the base. Can you help in the assault?"

"We've got a situation here," Robin replied, "can you guys handle it?"

"Sure can, Robin. Who's the newbie?"

"The name's Alma," stated the 'newbie', who then resumed eating her meal.

"Alma... I've heard that name somewhere... it was on the radio a little while ago. Can't remember what it said. We'll let you know when we get Bumblebee back."

"Good luck," was all that Robin said before the connection closed. "Titans, we'll plan Aqualad's funeral later. Right now, we've got some research to do. Canyon, try to dig up anything on Armacham's black operations. See if you can't find a dirty detail or two that could link them up with the murder of Alma's father."

At mention of Armacham and her father, Alma instantly became interested in the conversation. Her eyes darted in between the Titans, and kept returning to Raven, who's hood was down. There was something familiar about her.

"Cyborg, look into government contracts with Armacham. See if you can find anything having to deal with psychic warfare and possible cover-ups. Raven, I want you in Fairport tomorrow. Try to get into ATC HQ and see if you can find any rooms where they conduct experiments on people. Beast Boy, Starfire, I want you to patrol the city and keep an eye out for any Armacham Technology Corporation spies or agents that may have tracked Alma here. Canyon, you're on guard duty. If Alma leaves the Tower, you are to escort her. Also, until further notice, you are to refrain from going on any missions. Is everybody clear on what they are to do?"

Everybody nodded, even if some were a little confused. After the meeting, Raven pulled Robin aside. "Wouldn't sneaking around ATC HQ be, I don't know, illegal?! Think about it, even if I did find something, took pictures, there's a definite chance that I'll get noticed by security personnel, or cameras. I might be able to teleport and open portals, but I can't run from the law if they come after me."

"They won't. I'm making calls to police in Fairport, telling them that we're going to be investigating illicit underground experiments conducted by Armacham. You'll be in the clear. Once enough information is gathered, we'll move in on Armacham and its leaders. Until then, we need to do this alone. Who's going to want to believe that the world's number one supplier of advanced weaponry, body armor, and security systems is corrupt? That would scare a lot of people, probably including a lot of people in positions of high power. Senators, congressmen and women, leaders of foreign countries, who knows? Until we have enough evidence, we need to stay low and out of Armacham's eyes."

"Alma could testify," Raven countered. "She saw her father's corpse, she saw the ATC clean up van, she could bring them down."

"ATC could pull strings in the government. We don't know how deep this goes. They could get away, and have a "guardian" for Alma take her away. Then she'd be lost forever. Understand?"

Raven nodded, and gave one of her best glares to Robin, who recoiled a little. He'd made sense, even if she didn't agree with it, he made sense. "I'm getting some herbal tea then going to my room." As Raven made her way past the table and into the kitchen, she couldn't help but notice that Alma, who had finished her meal, was staring at her, as if trying to memorize her face. "The guest room is ready, I'll take you there in a minute." Alma nodded, got her dishes, and put them in the sink.

"Can we make a stop in Canyon's room? I need to pick up something."

"Sure."

As they left, Alma continued to stare at Raven's face. Something was familiar, too familiar. Once they got to Canyon's room, Alma retrieved the envelope and Raven escorted her to the guest room. "I'm on the next floor down, right below you if you need anything. Have a good evening."

"Good evening," Alma replied as Raven left. The room was beautiful; its walls were her favorite color. The bed sat in the far left hand corner, under a beautiful ceiling that was covered with stars. The window was on the far right hand corner of her room, with a great view of the bay. It was then that Alma started pacing. She couldn't get Raven's face out of her mind. Taking the pictures out of the envelope and tossing it on the bed, she held the pictures in her hands. They were the two most valuable objects in the world to Alma, and tears graced her face as she began to wish her parents were with her. Wiping the tears away, Alma made her way to the floor below, seeking out Raven, hoping she'd have some answers.

_Raven's Room_

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven chanted, deep in meditation. She had a grueling task tomorrow. One slip up and it would bring to light the Titan's own black ops. One that could get them into lots of trouble, no matter if Armacham was guilty or not. If she got caught, Armacham would know something was up, and possibly erase anything that could convict them. Raven was sure of that.

Knock, knock.

"Um, hello Raven. I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Come in, Alma, door's unlocked," Raven said uneasily. What was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? Then again, Raven thought that maybe Alma needed some company. Or maybe Alma wanted to explain why she was staring at Raven all through the meeting? As Alma came in, she sat across from Raven Indian style, and studied her face for a moment. "Do I have something on my face?" Raven asked.

Alma's only response was to hold up two pictures, one on each side of Raven's head. "It couldn't be..." Alma said aloud as she studied what was on the pictures and Raven's face simultaneously. "Raven, I know we just met, and you probably don't want to disclose this information, but please, who was your mother?"

Raven was taken aback. Why would Alma want to know who her mother was? Did she remind her of someone? It was impossible, Alma could never have met her. The curious side of her wanted to know why Alma was asking about her mother, the other side saying keep it secret. Then again, Raven had some questions for her. In a gentle tone, Raven replied, "My mother's name was Arella. Why do you ask?"

"Because," Alma replied, placing the photo's in Raven's lap, "my mother's name was Arella, and you look a lot like her."

Raven's mouth opened a little, then closed, and she looked at the pictures that had been placed in her lap. The woman in the photos, one where she stood against a windy background, the other she was holding a young Alma, whose smiled matched hers. Staring at the pictures, Raven did a very un-Raven like thing. She got up, motioned for Alma to do the same, then pulled her half-sister into a hug.

They stayed up talking for the rest of the night, falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning, side by side on the floor.

**There ye have it, lads and lassies! Next chapter, the rest of the Titans find out, and Canyon finds out more than he wants to in the next chapter of Blood Sisters! **


	5. Operation Grave Digger

**Thank you to my reviewers! Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or F.E.A.R., and Teen Titans is coming back! Video is up on my profile. Also, there's a F.E.A.R. 3 live action trailer on YouTube. Yeah, it's coming out. This year! Cool, eh?**

Raven and Alma woke up early and meditated till 10 A.M., then went to the Common Room.

"Raven, there you are," Robin said sternly. "You should be preparing to leave for Fairport. What's with the smile?"

"Alma and I have an announcement to make, where's everybody else?" Raven inquired.

"Beast Boy and Starfire are on patrol. Cyborg and Canyon are looking into government contracts and the murder, respectively."

"Get Cyborg and Canyon in here, call Beast Boy and Starfire. Now!" Raven ordered.

"What's the big announcement?" Cyborg asked once everybody had gathered.

"Last night, Alma and I discovered something important." Raven took the time to use her powers to pull Alma, who had started eating a banana, to her side. Supporting the largest smile they'd seen on her, Raven continued, "We're half sisters!"Alma blinked and continued to eat the banana, slowly.

After a few seconds of silence, cheers erupted through the Common Room. If Starfire was there, she would have given them a big hug. Canyon did it for her. "Air," the girls said in unison.

"Looks like there's reason to celebrate! Bring out the cider. Non-alcoholic, of course!" Cyborg yelled, and cheers went up all around, except from one boy wonder.

"Hu-hmm" Robin said, clearing his throat, "the party will have to wait for tonight. We've still got to crack Armacham's black operations wide open, and that's going to be a tough nut to crack." The cheers ended as quickly as they came.

_Way to kill the mood, Robin_, Raven thought. "I take it that the Fairport Police know I'm coming?" Raven asked politely.

Robin nodded. "There'll be a contact for you to meet outside the Chippin Dale Computer Repair Shop. He'll explain the Fairport operation." As everybody went to do their part of the mission, Robin paced the Common Room. If things went wrong, this could blow up in their faces. It could be the end of the Teen Titans. "Good luck, everyone," Robin whispered so quietly that he barely knew he said it.

_Fairport_

Raven teleported to a small shack on the outskirts of Fairport, not far from the Computer Repair Shop. The sun gleamed off the tall skyscrapers in the distance. Following directions given to her by Robin, Raven found the shop and her contact. He gave her a file containing the ATC HQ layout, of everything above ground, that is. There was a basement level that they didn't have any info on, and Raven was sure that was where she'd find the info she needed. The operation was simple; there would be an 'accident' at the power plant, cutting off electricity to most of the city, including Armacham Technologies Corporation HQ. ATC had a backup generator, but it only worked for some of their lights and a couple of computers. The security cameras would be down. Once the blackout began, Raven would have a three hour window of opportunity. Once the three hours were up, power would be restored, and she'd have to get out or risk being out in the open. It'd be half an hour till the blackout started, so the man drove Raven close to Armacham HQ, where she waited at a coffee shop. This allowed her to recover some energy that it had cost her to teleport here.

Half an hour later, Raven found herself inside a dark hallway on the basement floor of ATC HQ. It was illuminated only by the headlight she wore. She sensed that this floor was empty, but the floors above were teeming with people. A desk at the end of the hallway caught her interest. The only thing in the hallway, next to a part of the wall that was a different color than the steel grey that covered the walls. After sensing that the wall behind the desk was hollow, that there was another hallway behind it, Raven phased through, and froze.

She couldn't sense anyone above her. The only feelings she could sense was of the life forms down here, wherever here was. She sensed pain, anger, fear, anguish, hatred, like this underground tunnel, wherever it went to, was a mixing pot of bad emotions. The strength of it nearly knocked Raven to the floor, and it made her gut uneasy. She felt sick, and on top of that, Raven was still tired from teleporting. Still, she should be able to sense anyone in the building, below or _above _her. The fact that she could only sense people below her was a bit frightening. It was as if they'd dropped off the face of the Earth. Cautiously, Raven moved forward. Navigating a maze of tunnels, locked security doors, empty cells, and what looked to be like operating rooms, Raven came across a supercomputer. Despite the blackout, it was still running. It had many files, most containing information about civilian projects, such as a hover car and helicopter. One file, labeled _**Still Island**_, caught her attention. It contained three folders, labeled _**Replicas**__, __**Abominations**__,_ and_**Assassins**__. _Each had a load of files relating to the subject in question. It took a good fifteen minutes to download all the folders and files to her communicator.

A red flash and blare of an alarm alerted Raven to the footsteps of oncoming guards. "17's loose!" one cried, and the sound of an automatic shotgun firing was heard. Raven faded against the shadows, turning her light off and staying perfectly still against the wall opposite the supercomputer. Two guards passed without noticing her. "Open the door!" the taller of the guards cried.

"I can't! Power must be out. Backup generator doesn't cover this area, remember! Get your pistol out, we've got to help the others," the smaller one said grimly. "We can't get help, so we have to _be_ the help, understand?"

"As you say, Chuck, just wish we had better weapons."

"Maybe 17's killed some replicas, and we can grab their weapons, Francis."

Raven watched the guards leave, and then followed them, doing her best to stay in the shadows. The sound of gunfire ricocheted in the tunnel, which led into a large chamber. Lining the walls of the chamber were what looked to be fuel tanks, each with a latch in the middle of the door. It was here that the battle was being fought. Shotguns, assault rifles, and pistols went off as an unseen creature moved with lighting speed, killing a majority of the replicas. "Ahh!" Chuck yelled as it latched itself onto him. The scrawny body clawed at him viciously, one eye protruding from the bandages that covered part of its face. Leaning down, the abomination bit its prey in his neck, and left him to die. All in a matter of seconds, which is how long it took the replicas, who had lost track of the abomination, to aim and fire. The bullets barely missed the abomination, and some accidentally hit the guard, killing him.

It jumped, crawled up along the wall, Raven noticed, and began moving. Towards _her_. It lunged, and she barely had time to throw up a shield. She was half a second to slow, however, and the shield only worked to insure it was trapped inside with her. She lowered the shield as it attached on to her, and she fought back. Using her powers, she kept it at bay, using her feet to kick it in the gut, hard. A few kicks sent him flying. Raven ran, jumping over some railing, and behind a stack of boxes. Thankfully, luck seemed to favor her, and she remained unnoticed. Minutes later, the sound of a shotgun firing and a mangled screech signaled the abomination's end.

Raven's heart was pounding. She had to keep her powers under control. That thing had scared her. She'd never forget the eye she saw, the growls it made as it tried to kill her, the screech of it as it died. It was horrifying. She took a couple of breaths, collected herself, and continued her mission, slipping away from the replica forces that entered the room.

_Jump City_

Cyborg smiled. He'd found a file, though cryptic, that gave him hope. Hope that Robin could crack this. The file he'd found said this.

"Odin on Asgard has requested that Operation Gungnir be put into effect. Once successful, it will transform the Einherjar into an unstoppable force. We can then control Midgard, eventually leading to total domination in the field of battle. All other projects are to continue as planned. Those that tie in with Gungnir have top priority. We must finish Gungnir, even if we have to remove some obstacles. Freya is the key to Gungnir's success. Without her, we will fail. Secrecy must be kept. If this were leaked out to the public, we could face grave consequences that would sound the bell of our doom."-High One.

It was confusing, with the references to Norse Myths, but it pointed that _something _was going down. He was having luck, better luck than Canyon, as he last heard…

Canyon stumbled around the room, his head throbbing. "Note to self, don't bang head against wall so hard next time," he sighed, heading back to his laptop. He'd hacked Armacham's database, after searching their main site. Anything on Harlan Wade had been wiped from their systems. Though Armacham kept information on current and past employees, including their application, should one who left wanted to work there again, everything on Harlan had _disappeared_. Not even in the backup files. It was frustrating as hell, but Armacham had covered their tracks perfectly. This failure would make it harder to crack Armacham and bring their dark deeds to light. Beep, beep, beep, his computer went, and his eyes shot to the box that was flashing red and white.

"Unauthorized access detected. Tracking in progress." For a second, he thought someone had accessed his computer, and then realized that _he_ was being was tracked. The tracking was barely halfway complete before he spiked them and cut the connection. That had been too close. Canyon slumped his shoulders and lowered his head in defeat. Failure was not an option, and yet… here he was, nearly risking the entire operation. He had nearly been caught. Then what? Would the Teen Titans be forced to retire due to illicit investigating? Hacking computers and trespassing on Armacham property would land them in hot water. No, scratch that, in hot lava. Hopefully, Raven and Cyborg were faring better than him.

_Fairport, ATC HQ_

Raven ducked in and out of operating rooms, took cover behind anything she could. The screams were getting louder. Screams of a man being tortured. She would free the prisoner. The tormenters thought he knew where Alma was. They, for reasons unknown to Raven, thought Alma was in Asia. "I don't know where she is," the voice replied over and over again. His captors didn't believe him, however. Raven looked at her watch. Had two and a half hours really gone by that fast? Raven wondered as she trudged forward. After escaping the Abomination Holding Pen, Raven had discovered the Assassin Restraining Cells, the Kinetic Amplifier, and Test Subject Training Room. This was where everything kept under wraps was going down. She'd save this man, bring him back to the Tower, and when he got better, he could hopefully testify.

Standing at the precipice of the open doorway, Raven saw a man trapped to a chair. A replica stood over him, assault rifle in his hands. To the right of the replica, a man stood in a chocolate brown leather jacket, with a blood red robe draped across his waist and flowing gently to the floor. "Mr. Moody, where is Alma? Harlan disclosed her location as being in Asia. We'd like to know _where_, Mr. Moody. If not… you'll suffer even more. Stop resisting, and tell us where she is!" Though he had her back turned to her, Raven could feel the smile on his face. "Vaneck is hunting her down as we speak. Need some time to think about it? I've got all the time in the world," the interrogator mused.

Raven acted, using her powers to lift the gun from the replica and knock the two men down and out. Not for long, though. She rushed to Moody's side, untied him, and concentrated on the Common Room of Titans Tower. Raven felt her energy being drained as she teleported out of there, just as the guard and interrogator were waking. Landing in the middle of the room, Raven made her way to the Med Bay with a bleeding, half-concious Bill Moody in her arms, while blood dripped down her chest.

"Ha!" Canyon shouted after he recovered from shock. He'd been so stupid… the file was right there, on the first page that he'd hacked. It contained everything on the murder, and the attempt to capture Alma. It also explained, in great detail, on how they planned on experimenting on Alma, which disgusted him and nearly made him vomit when he read it. He ran to go meet with Robin and let him know what he'd found, after he downloaded it to his thumb drive and cut the connection. Instead, he knocked over an exhausted, covered in blood, Raven. "What happened?!" he asked worriedly. "Where are you bleeding? Why didn't you heal yourself? Did it just happen? What?!"

Violet orbs met blue, and Raven stated "it's not my blood." Canyon's mouth dropped open. "There's a guy I rescued, he's been tortured. I'm going to tell Robin."

"No," Canyon replied, earning an angry glare from Raven, "I'll tell him. You get yourself to a shower. Then take a nap, you look like you could use one." Anger turned to thankful understanding as Raven headed towards the showers. Running to Robin's room, he informed him of the other guest.

Trailing behind Cyborg and Robin, Canyon headed towards the Med Bay. With all the information, Canyon could only think one thing. _Operation successful._


	6. Success?

**Disclaimer: I don't own F.E.A.R. or the Teen Titans. Thanks to Bookit and Joran Antilles for reviewing, and to Joran Antilles for helping me with this chapter!**

Cyborg stood over an operating table, wiping blood off Bill Moody's body.. Canyon dashed to prepare some food for Mr. Moody, and Robin sat at a computer monitor that was linked to the scanners that were evaluating the condition of Bill's insides. He sighed and wiped sweat from his forehead. Moody's left arm was broken, he had three bruised ribs, malnourished, and he'd lost a lot of blood. Mr. Moody was barely conscious as of now, and it was hoped by the Titans that he would be willing to testify against Armacham once he was feeling well enough.

Canyon came in a few minutes later, carrying a tray with a banana and peanut butter sandwich, a cold glass of milk, with slices of oranges and some grapes. Mr. Moody smiled as the tray was placed on the counter opposite the computer monitor. Cyborg, who had finished wiping away the blood, began to apply bandages and otsofoam. Ostofoam, the miracle foam, some called it; apply otsofoam to any cut, scrape, or wound, and it would heal within a few hours. The bandages served for keeping viruses, bacteria, and anything else that might infect the wound or irritate it. A worried Robin turned from the computer monitor, gazing at the new inhabitant. "Can you sit up, Mr. Moody?"

"Please, call me Bill". He began to sit up, yelped as searing hot pain coursed through his left arm. "My left arm's broken, isn't it?" he gasped.

"I'm afraid so, Bill," the Titan's leader replied. Canyon, who had been doing his best to stand still and not bother anyone, picked up the tray and brought it to the table next to Bill Moody. "Cyborg," Robin said, noticed Cyborg had dispensed of the blood soaked cloths and was putting the box of bandages away. "Victor, call Beast Boy and Starfire in from patrol. Canyon, Alma's in her room meditating. Go see how she's doing. I'll stay here and watch over Bill." The man was not protesting, as he had his mouth full of a sandwich that he was holding with one hand. "Once Raven is available, tell her to get in here." Robin rubbed a green gloved hand through his spiky hair. He swerved back to the monitor, turned it off, and resumed watching Bill. There was so much he wanted to ask him. Maybe after Raven healed him, they could start, not interrogating, but discussing Armacham with Mr. Moody.

Canyon meandered down the hall in silence. His mind was filled with questions. Now that they had some information on Armacham, how were they going to bring them down? How would they, the Teen Titans, be able to bring Armacham down? He doubted anyone would be willing to bring down Armacham, since they were the biggest suppliers of weapons to U.S. Army and distributor of world class security systems that never failed, and public transportation that was superb.

Not noticing where he was going, Canyon bowled into a sweet scented, warm, wet object. An object wearing a towel. The towel was wrapped around a figure. It took a couple of seconds, but it dawned on him who he had bumped into. Violet orbs met blue, and he blushed. If he'd been paying any more attention, he would have noticed the blush spreading across Raven's face like a wave over sand. "S-sorry," he said once his mouth got working. "Uh…" Canyon mumbled, trying to advert his gaze from Raven's, which had a fire in it that scared him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Raven pushed herself up off of the floor, and Canyon, accidentally dropping her towel. She glared and teleported to her room, leaving a wet towel and a very stunned Canyon on the floor. Raven's heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to burst from her chest. Canyon had run into her when she had nothing but a towel on after she emerged from the bathroom. Not only that, he had seen her _naked_ when she dropped her towel. Nobody had ever seen her naked. She would have a long talk with Canyon about what he saw… and possibly slap him some. Deciding that she didn't want anyone else to see her naked, Raven glided over to her closet, pulled out one of her suits, donned it, and went to go find Canyon.

_Speaking of Canyon…._

Cold water splashed his face, sending ice needles digging into his pores. The incident with Raven had shocked him, badly. He'd seen Raven in a towel, then _naked_. She'd let him live without sending him to another dimension or through a wall. Also, for whatever time she was on top of him, their lips, he noticed, were nearly touching; a few more inches, and they would've been kissing. To calm himself down, he'd rushed into the bathroom that Raven had come out of, splashed ice cold water on his face over and over again, and began breathing slowly. Collecting himself, Canyon rushed towards Alma's room.

_Knock, knock_, came the rasp at her door. "You're wet," Alma stating after opening the door. "Water balloon fight?" she asked as she handed Canyon a handkerchief. Canyon shook his head as he wiped.

"No, how have you been?" Canyon asked. "Meditating for a couple of hours?"

"Yup, I'm doing great. By the way, is Raven back yet? I need to talk to her about some… stuff."

"Raven's back," Canyon replied, failing to hold back a blush. "Robin needs her in the Med Bay. Raven rescued a man named Bill Moody."

Alma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Bill Moody's here? He was an old friend of my father's. How is he?"

Before Canyon could respond, a pair of pale hands came out from behind him and dragged him away. Alma stared down the hallway, and blinked twice. Her eyes widened... then rolled. She set off after them.

Canyon stood frozen in the middle of the room, as if he was incased in the Columbia glacier. Fear rolled off him in waves that threatened to make Raven show sympathy. Instead, she smiled a creepy smile, with a sadistic look on her face. "You…" she said in a low growl, "bumped into me, causing me to fall on top of you… and you saw me naked. Didn't you?" she stated, slowly circling around Canyon.

"I-I-I" Canyon stuttered, not knowing what to say. "W-well, I, uh, well… I um," Canyon continued to stutter as Raven cut him off.

Raven stood in front of him, glaring like she'd finally lost it She pulled him close enough so that their faces were only centimeters apart, then whispered in his right ear, "If you tell anybody what you saw… well, let's just say _if_," threatened, pulling back and frowning, running her left hand along his chin, "well, you'll find out." With that, Raven teleported him to the Common Room, and allowed herself to smile. She had fun with that, and Canyon's reaction was priceless. Laughing to herself, Raven headed out of her room and towards the Med Bay.


	7. Hell hath no Fury like a woman insulted

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. A big shout out to my readers and reviewers! You're great! FEARFAN, don't worry, Paxton Fettel will be in this story, eventually. =)**

Raven's hands hovered over Bill's broken arm. Once done, she placed the cast on his arm and smiled. "Feeling better?" Raven asked. "I've fixed your arm to a minor fracture. You're still going to need a few weeks in the cast, however."

"Thank you. My arm is feeling a lot better. I don't mind the cast. Better than having a broken arm hanging limp."

"Mr. Moody!" a voice happily exclaimed from the doorway. Alma rushed over to the man and gave him a hug. "Long time, no see!"

"Alma, glad you're safe! I'm sorry for what happened to your father… I wish I could have prevented it." Bill said sympathetically. "Armacham will pay."

It was at this time that Robin decided to lay out his plan. "With the information Raven, Canyon, and Cyborg have gathered, not to mention a testimony by Bill, if you feel like it, should be enough to bring Armacham down. We need to play it safe. As of now, Armacham is still a threat. We need to lay low, pretend we don't know anything. Silently build up the case. As for Alma… would you like to start training with us?"

"Sure... but I need a costume. I don't want anyone who could possibly work for Armacham to spot me here." Alma replied. Before Robin could respond, Alma continued enthusiastically. "I've got an idea! A black cloak, with a red bandanna to cover my face. My suit could be a cyan shirt with matching pants. Nobody would know me then."

Robin was astounded. "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Alma nodded, unable to hide the grin on her face. "We'll get the costume for you. Probably tomorrow." Robin struggled to collect his thoughts. Finally, he found what he wanted to say. "Cyborg and I will start putting a case together. I'd suggest Canyon get to the Case Room ASAP." At the mention of Canyon's name, Raven let a ghost of a smile grace her pale face. "With his help, it shouldn't take too long to get all our information sorted. Meeting dismissed."

Everyone went their separate ways, leaving the Med Bay so that Bill Moody could rest. Raven teleported to the roof so she could meditate. Robin and Cyborg swiftly made their way to the Case Room. As for Alma, she zoomed merrily back and forth down the hallway, excited for her soon to begin training. However, she was not paying attention and nearly collided with Beast Boy. "Freight train!" the green changeling yelled as Alma zipped passed him in a flurry. Unfortunately for him, Alma heard this, and stopped.

_Did he just call me a freight train…? Is he making fun of my weight? _Alma turned around, and stared at Beast Boy. "A… freight train?" she said icily. He made fun of her weight, he had to pay!

"W-well, freight trains are fast and they can knock you over or kill you because they're so big…" Beast Boy began.

"Big?" Alma asked, wondering how stupid Beast Boy really was.

"Well, they're big, not as big as some things, like a plane. Yeah, a plane is huge! They're so big, they dwarf freight trains! If that isn't enough, a cargo plane could probably easily fit a freight train in it!" A vein, Beast Boy noticed, was visibly throbbing on Alma's forehead. "They weight a lot," he continued, oblivious to the fact that Alma was taking this the wrong way, "did you know, the average adult male elephant weighs… uh, Alma?"

There was a fire dancing in her eyes. Beast Boy couldn't understand why. They had been talking about big things that weighed a lot, and… weight. _Oh, crap, _Beast Boy thought, _she's been taking this the wrong way._ "That's not what I… eeep!" Beast Boy yelled as a fireball came hurtling towards him. He changed into a hummingbird and zoomed away, Alma hot on his heels.

Meanwhile, in the Common Room…

Canyon, who had regained his composure and made a note to avoid Raven for eternity, had answered his Communicator and was about to head out the doors when they opened, and he had to duck to avoid the green hummingbird that nearly smacked him in the forehead. A red blur was chasing the green hummingbird, and Canyon leaped to the left to avoid being run over by said red blur. It took a moment, but his brain registered that Beast Boy was being chased by an angry Alma. Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Canyon immediately left for the Case Room as if the devil himself was on his heels.

Throughout the Tower…

Raven was meditating on the roof. All was peaceful, quite, and Raven hoped it would stay that way. The sun's rays beat down on her, why did her leotard have to be black, of all colors? "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven chanted. A scream of 'help me!' knocked Raven out of her trance and she went below, towards the sound of the scream.

Canyon had just gotten to the Case Room and explained to Cyborg and Robin what he'd seen. Both had faces as pale, possibly paler, if possible, than Raven's. A scream of 'help me!' confirmed their worst fears. The trio rushed back to the Common Room, where they were sure the scream had originated from.

The four of them found a scared, cowering Beast Boy with a large, red handprint on his face, his singed clothes reeking of smoke and other odors that, due to the rating, shall not be described here. Needless to say, the Titans were puzzled to no end.


	8. The Secret Swordsman

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or F.E.A.R., and an announcement! This trilogy is now being co-authored with Wgreen. This chapter has been written by him, and edited by me. Cheers, folks! **

"A Good swordsmen never lets his enemy see his movement. No matter what he or she does the swordsmen remains collected and composed, ready to strike." Master Ronin said under his breath to his pupil Paul Topkok. All he needed to do was nod his head to let his master understand that he was listening. Stepping back Paul drew his katana and moved slowly towards his master. Likewise Master Ronin did the same. Neither did anything they only looked into each others eyes and waited for the other to make a move.

As always Paul was the first to attack. Like a bolt of lightning he charged Raising his katana above his head he swung. Despite Master Ronin's age he effortlessly dodged the attack and countered with one of his own. Placing his blade under Paul's neck he thought he had his pupil beat or so he thought. Shoving his master away with his foot Paul quickly rolled to one side and gripped his sword tighter. Propelling himself again at his master Paul's katana met with a clang as both their swords met. Now it was a test of strength as the two vied for control. At first Paul had the upper hand but Master Ronin doubled back and knocked Paul's sword from his hands. Smiling faintly Master Ronin mocked.

"Surrender my idiotic pupil you have been bested"

"The fifth principal of the Hyuga Hattori swordsmen ship style, surrender is only for the weak minded and the cowardly." Paul spat while he took a defensive stance. Master Ronin smile faded and he nodded to Paul in approval. Moving closer towards Paul Master Ronin raised his sword and prepared to strike him down. At the last possible second Paul clapped together his hands between the sword and shifted with all his might until Master Ronin's sword was out of his hands. Quickly flipping the blade so it was in his hands Paul cornered Master Ronin.

Bowing deeply Master Ronin motioned for the fight to end. Relaxing Paul lowered his guard and bowed to his Master. Suddenly Paul felt a swift kick to his groin. Falling to the floor in agony he resisted the urge to cry out lest he be punished by his master for showing weakness. Biting his lip Paul looked up to see his master standing above him with katana in hand.

"You are an idiotic apprentice! Had you been paying attention I said that this match was to end to first blood, not by my word! Idiot I should take one of your fingers as punishment for your idiocy." Paul sat there silently as Master Ronin continued barking at him. Once he was done Paul looked up at him with defiance in his eyes and said lowly.

"Yes but it was _you _who told me that when one fights he is to show honor to his opponent's and it was you who acted dishonorably" Master Ronin narrowed his eyes in disgust and slapped Paul as hard as he could across his face.

"Do you think all enemies will act as I do idiot! Most if not all will only wish to do you harm, kill you! Yes there will be very few that will act honorably but _very_ few ever will!" With his feature's softening Master Ronin dropped his sword and helped Paul to his feet. Walking next to him Master Ronin sighed and looked to his young pupil.

"My pupil I forget you are still very young compared to me. So I also forget that you have not been a swordsman as long as I have. I only acted dishonorably to teach you a lesson so I apologize. However you must know that you must only drop your guard when your enemy lies at your feet, or he is rendered so completely crippled he can no longer fight. Please forgive me my pupil, you are like a son to me and I only wish to teach what I know and keep you safe when you fight." Paul nodded his head in agreement and chuckled a little. Master Ronin thought that it was because he was unused to hearing his master apologize. That was until he felt a stinging sensation on his back. Placing his hand onto his back Master Ronin had blood leaking into his hand. Looking to Paul he smiled weakly and showed him a bloody pocket knife .

"you never technically cut me and when you were apologizing you were just so defenseless so I figured..."

"My pupil you are indeed a complete idiot! An idiot that is very clever indeed. You did well I congratulate you, but why did you have to cut me so deep!" Master Ronin jokingly stated as he rubbed where Paul had cut. Paul just smiled and stuck out his tongue.

"I believe you owe me a deep dish pizza with all of the trimmings." Frowning a little Master Ronin shook his head and stated with a wink.

"I do not I simply let you cut me." Paul looked to his master with a tilted head and stated sarcastically.

"Riiiiiight and you also created the air we breath." Chuckling a little Master Ronin nodded his head. Trying to keep a straight face Paul went along with him and replied.

"Thank you oh Master of air and life for granting us mortals _oxygen._" As the two moved from the training room to the tea room Master Ronin let himself laugh for a little and than instructed Paul to pour some tea for them both and to bandage the wound on his back. Doing as his Master wished Paul quickly poured some of Master Ronin's home made tea. Grabbing some of the medical supplies Master Ronin kept in his training room Paul roughly patched up the cut. After he was done Paul sat down on the tatami mat. Sipping the tea Paul noticed that it was the special brew that Master Ronin made. It was a very sweet tea with a hint of mint and strawberry or raspberry.

Paul never could tell what flavor but it always seemed to change. Whenever he would ask Master Ronin would just smile and tell him it was tea flavored and that he would learn in time. It aggravated Paul not knowing and he vowed to one day find out. Sipping on his tea Paul took notice that it had a hint of blueberry this time, adding to the already staggering list of flavors Master Ronin used. However this time there was less of a mint aftertaste.

Licking his lips Paul continued to drink until his tea cup was empty. Looking at Master Ronin his cup was empty as well. Paul was about to pour some more but Master Ronin motioned that he was good. Leaning back Paul scratched the side of his face and relaxed. Looking at his Master Paul was about to ask if they were going to train again tonight. Before he could Master Ronin asked silently.

"So how is the girl you have a crush on doing?" Choking on what tea was in his mouth Paul beat his chest and practically whispered.

"I don't have a crush on Alma, she's just a friend." Master Ronin said nothing and poured Paul some more tea.

"If you do not like Alma than why are you blushing?" Paul shook his head and sipped on his tea.

"I'm blushing because your asking if I like a good friend of mine." Paul said quickly as his face turned redder. Master Ronin just smiled and continued on.

"Well how is the girl doing my pupil I'm curious?" Letting himself relax Paul wiped away a bead of sweat and said calmly

"To be honest I don't know I haven't heard from her in a couple of days. I was going to call today after I was done training." Master Ronin smiled again and offered Paul some more tea but refused. Standing up Paul began to put away the tea. He was quick about it and pulled out a chess board from one of the drawers on the tea shelf.

It was their tradition to play a couple of game's of chess after their nightly tea. Of course Master Ronin would always obliterate Paul but they always bonded while they played. Both would talk about all manner of things, how each others day went, what they would have for dinner and the one sport they loved more than anything, dancing. They loved dancing since their swordsmen style incorporated many dance like moves and steps. Sometimes the two would even bring a television into the shrine and watch the world's next best dancer but that was rare. Master Ronin mostly hated television he would often say he felt his brain turning to mush by just touching one.

Moving one of his pawns Paul smiled it had been a while since he had seen his Master and a long time since he had his butt handed to him at chess. Master Ronin returned the smile as he moved his queen ever closer to Paul's king. So far it had been a stalemate with both men only having their queen's, one knight two pawns and of course their king's. That last move however set the game and forced Paul to admit Checkmate.

Both men played three more games all of which Master Ronin won. Calling it a night Paul put away the chess board and went to his room in the shrine. Paul normally stayed with his Master in the shrine but his job had him off most of the time. So he was more used to staying in some hotel or youth hostel. For now he was on an extended vacation until his employer called him with his next assignment.

Pulling out his bedroll Paul bumped a nearby box spilling its contents everywhere. Cursing under his breath Paul began picking up the scattered papers, old magazines and pictures every which way he could. Stopping mid way through Paul found an old picture of Canyon, Alma and himself when they had first met.

They were in a grassy meadow near the outskirts of the city. Canyon had been bugging Paul to meet a friend of his and Paul did not want to have any part of it. After a while of pestering him though Paul cracked and he went to meet this good friend. He was glad that he cracked, or else he would have never met Alma.

At first Paul was shy around her but after a couple of hours she was like his little sister. After that moment the three were inseparable. Every day Paul made it a point to visit that meadow and play with Canyon and Alma. Eventually he considered them his closest friends but sadly the only one's he would ever make. Not long after that his mother died and his aunt got full custody of him.

Shaking off the thoughts of the past Paul forced the picture back into the box. There was no use of thinking of the past now. Placing the box back in it's home Paul laid down on his bedroll with katana in hand. Out of habit he began to sharpen the blade. Once Paul was sure that the blade could split someone's hair he went on to clean and polish it.

Admiring his work Paul slowly placed the katana back into its sheath. It had been a while since he had sharpened and polished the blade. Feeling at ease with himself Paul crawled into his bedroll and began to drift into a light sleep. Forcing his eyes open Paul rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He nearly forgot to call Alma to see if she was alright.

Paul did not understand what he was worrying for, she was a big girl now and did not need both Canyon and himself always looking out for her. Still something was not sitting well with him. Ever since her birthday something was off. Grabbing his cell phone Paul tried getting a hold of her. She never answered. Normally Paul would just shrug it off but this was the third night in a row she had not answered. Out of a panic he tried calling her father. It rang five times before someone answered. Instead of Harlan's raspy voice Paul heard someone he detested, Genevieve Aristide.

"Hello agent twenty seven I hope you had a good vacation because it's over. As of right now you are on active duty, your mission track and capture Alma wade." The pit of Paul's stomach turned and he nearly puked. Biting his lip he said lowly

"I have already told you I'm waiting for a better time to bring her in so..."

"We can no longer wait on _your_ judgment. We need her now is that understood twenty seven?" Genevieve hissed under her breath. Biting his lip harder until he tasted a faint amount of blood Paul took a deep breath and stated in monotone.

"affirmative as of now I will hunt down Alma Wade and bring her into Armacham custody." With that Paul hung up and let his phone slide out of his hand. Shortly after it began to ring. Solemnly he picked it up and flipped it back open. The caller I.D read Canyon. taking another deep breath he answered the phone and forced himself to sound happy.

"Hey Canyon how are you?" With that Canyon began to explain the situation to Paul. Pretending to be shocked he said all the usual lines and prepared himself for the hunt. Once Canyon was done Paul steeled himself and asked where he and Alma were staying.

"Titans Tower in Jump City" Canyon said cheerfully. Paul acted out fake jealousy and said to let them know he was coming to visit. He told Canyon the usual lies about his concern for Alma and that he would be there to help out any way he could. After chatting with Canyon for a while about things Paul did not care to remember Paul said his goodbyes and hung up. Grabbing his katana Paul threw together a small duffel bag and was off to catch the train and the target that still haunted his every dream.


	9. Old Friends once again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or F.E.A.R., This was Co Authored With Wgreen, He Wrote This chapter, I Edited, Elena Lerche Is Property of Wgreen, **

The train ride was quiet with only the occasional grinding of the rails. Paul was used to riding these trains, to him it was like walking. When he was younger his mother had to ride them to work often. Since she could not afford a sitter Paul would always have to go with her. Sitting near the back Paul gazed out the window as lights glistened past his eyes or eye. Half of the time he kept his right eye covered with an eye patch. It did not hide the scars but at least it hid his synthetic eye. He hated when people asked how it happened. It was none of their business nor their concern.

Shifting in his seat Paul found a note laying in his lap. Looking closer he noticed that it was sealed with the Armacham insignia. His first reaction was to tear it up. None the less he had to read the letter, it could have been vital to his mission. Instead he found a mushy poorly written love letter. Crumpling it up and tossing it to his side Paul cursed under his lips.

"Is that any way how to treat a letter like that, I worked really hard on that you know." Elena Lerche purred sarcastically. Paul just flipped her off and continued to stare out of the window. Like Paul, Elena also was part of the Hallowed Whisper Project. She however never took her rank or duty seriously. Elena more or less just liked to flirt with her targets and on occasion Paul, much to his dismay.

"Go away E, I really don't need your sexual harassment right now." Elena just flicked Paul a faint grin and practically attached herself into his lap. Rubbing up against him she tried to kiss his cheek but he just shoved her aside. Content with holding onto his arm she looked into his good eye and smiled.

"You know Patchy you're really cute when you resist." Elena said while licking her lips. Pretending to ignore her Paul just sighed and continued to look out of the window. He didn't dislike Elena but her continual flirting was something he could live without. She was good to him though when she _wasn't _trying to force him to make out with her. In fact out of all the member's of Hallowed Whisper she was the one he trusted the most. Granted every member of Hallowed Whisper were like family to him, Elena was different. She was like Paul, she disliked killing innocents. That's what set them apart from the fifteen elite Armacham assassin's. So in that they had a particularly strong bond.

"You are going to have to move your hand away from my arm you know and stop calling me Patchy." Paul grumbled while he shifted in his seat again. Elena's only reaction was to move even closer to him and hold onto his arm even tighter. Grunting out of irritation Paul gave up. When Elena wanted to flirt, everyone knew damn well she was going to.

"What are you doing here anyways Elena you can't possibly have a contract in Jump City the same time I do." Smiling at him wickedly Elena held his arm even tighter and replied devilishly

"I had the Armacham officials transfer me over as your field coordinator, so that means..." Going pale in the face Paul slowly began to realize what that meant. Clearing his throat he said hoarsely

"That means your going to be an even bigger pain in my ass than before."

"No silly that means that I get to work with you side by side on _all_ of your missions from now on. Isn't it lovely darling will be just like newly weds, love making and all." Losing every once of coloration in his face Paul groaned. He would have face palmed but found he had no strength left within him. Once he got control of his free arm Paul slapped himself as hard as he could in hopes this was all just a a nightmare, it was not. Elena chuckled as Paul rubbed his cheek and again tightened her already vice clamp grip on his arm.

Coming to terms with this new found hell Paul let himself fall into a light sleep on the train. It was mostly a dreamless sleep up until the end. It was a blurry dream at best but it was one Paul had often. He was sitting with Alma and Canyon in the Wade house. They were playing monopoly and as usual Paul was losing. Alma had over half the board while Canyon had the other. Alma was rooting for Paul to pull through and promised that if he won she would treat him to ice cream. After that the dream would always fade out and Paul would wake up. As usual he did and found Elena cuddled up on his shoulder fast asleep. Wrapping his arm around Elena Paul whispered

"your kind of cute when your not making my life a living hell." Elena cuddled into his arm some more and whispered softly.

"I heard that Patchy." Blushing Paul just patted Elena's head as she fell back asleep. For the rest of the ride Paul remained awake. Elena dozed on and off until finally reaching Jump City. Grabbing his duffle bag and katana the train slowly began to come to a halt. Snapping awake Elena rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched.

"ready sleeping ugly." Paul remarked happily, Glaring at him Elena nodded her head and spat.

"Only if you are Prince Patchy." Walking off of the train together arm in arm Paul felt out of place. Everyone was staring at him with Elena stuck on him like whacky glue. Than again he couldn't blame them Elena just had that whole European look to her. Standing at five foot four with sandy blonde hair and emerald green eyes Elena was a Russian beauty. With those perfectly toned legs and slender build she could make most men drop dead just by blowing them a kiss. That and Elena knew that other men found her attractive only adding to her dangerous charm. Yet here she was attached to Paul's arm like a part of his body.

In the distance he spotted Canyon and Alma Waiting for him. Shaking Elena free from his arm he was going to explain to her that she couldn't be seen with him but Elena was already gone. Sometimes Paul would forget that Elena actually was a master assassin and not some flirty eighteen year old.

Spotting Paul Alma began to wave her arms up in the air shouting his name. In no time at all he was standing right next to them. Hugging Alma tightly Paul brushed the hair out of her eyes. Once he was done hugging the life out of Alma he pulled out a bag of his home made hard candies. It was a treat Paul often made for her that she loved.

"What no love for me, Paul I'm hurt!" Canyon yelled jokingly. Turning to face him Paul remarked

"Hey Alma gets priority, I'll squeeze your brains out in a minute." Grabbing ahold of Canyon Paul gave him an authoritative noogie and knocked the back side of his head with another bag of candy. Handing them over to him the three were off. Both were talking Paul's ear off bragging that they actually got to meet the Titans before him. On the outside he played it off easily but on the inside his guilt was consuming him. Normally he would be happy to see the two but not now, not when Aresitede ordered him to _capture her_. Nearly cursing out loud Paul bit his lip. For now he would try and enjoy what time he had left with Alma and Canyon.

For most of the walk Paul was silent. He was thinking of all the ways this operation could play out. He knew that when he did act it would have to be fast. Canyon was a force to be reckoned with alone he would hate to see him in action with the Titan's backing him up. Paul's best bet was to gain the Titan's trust and when given the opportunity take Alma. It would have to be when the two were alone outside of Titans Tower.

"Um earth to the space cadet samurai, you with us Paul?" Alma asked snapping Paul out of his daze. Shaking his head Paul apologized for zoning out. Alma was worried ever since he had gotten off of the train Paul wasn't his usual self. Granted he was always a bit quiet "Something wrong _Paulie_?" Alma asked, using Paul's childhood nickname. Paul blushed and said something about evil ninjas and toilet troubles, at least as far as Alma could tell. Canyon raised an eyebrow, and continued walking.

It was a nice day outside, and the three friends took it slowly getting back to Titans Tower. Stopping at an ice cream parlor Alma felt that ice cream would lighten Paul's bad mood. Sitting down under shade of a parasol table Alma went to the stand and ordered everyone's favorite flavor of ice cream. Canyon's was pumpkin pie, Alma's was mint chocolate and Paul's was Vanilla with chunks of Reese's. Once their order was brought to the table all three instantly dug in.

Looking to Paul he still seemed a little out of sorts. Letting out a grated sigh Alma didn't know what to do. Ice cream usually cheered him up. Or made him hyper. Probably would later... but Alma was alright with that. _"Hey Canyon,"_ Alma said telepathically, _"doesn't Paul seem a little... off?"_

Though Canyon wasn't telepathic, he could mentally talk with Alma, for whatever reason. _"Probably just tired from the train ride. Those can be long and boring sometimes. He'll freak once he sets foot in Titans Tower though. Warning: big smile up ahead."_

Silently, Alma laughed. She hoped that Canyon was right. The three of them hadn't hung out in forever, and it was nice to have the gang back together again. It felt just like old times, Ice cream and all. The only thing that was missing was a game of monopoly.

"Hey telepath's are you talking all psychicy about me again." Paul barked with a mouth full of ice cream. Both blushed a little and let out a suppressed giggle. Letting out a low growl Paul forced the rest of the triple stacked ice cream into his mouth. That was a bad mistake because Paul was prone to headaches and brain freezes. Squirming in his chair Paul banged his head against the table.

"_Yup he's back to his normal self." _Alma stated mentally to Canyon. He just snickered and agreed. Both looked to Paul and laughed they warned him about the deadly affect of ice cream, but he did not listen.

"_How many times has he done that now?"_ Canyon asked Alma flashed him an evil smile and replied.

"_I stopped keeping count after he was eight."_ Canyon was about to reply to her but his communicator went off, it was Robin. Canyon was about to casually greet him but just the look in his eye warned him that something was wrong.

"What's the problem?" Canyon asked, Robin narrowed his eyes and responded with a word that chilled even Canyon's battle hardened bones.

"Slade"


	10. The Titans Meet the Samurai

The Titans Meet The Samurai

**Disclaimer: Wgreen and I do not own the Teen Titans. This is being co-authored with Wgreen. I wrote the first draft of this chapter and Wgreen completely re wrote it and gave it a BIG over haul...Thanks Buddy!**

Slade picked up Robin by the neck and thrust him into the wall. With all the pressure behind him the wall cracked and shattered and so did three of Robin's ribs. Slade dropped Robin and turned to Starfire. Her eyes were glowing a dark emerald as her hands erupted with pure energy. It sent Slade flying backwards. Beast Boy followed up the attack with a swipe from his bear form.

It cut deep into his armor and nearly cut his exposed flesh. Backing away slowly Slade pulled out a bo-staff. He wielded it with perfection and struck Beast Boy in the gut. He continually struck at him with the staff until Cyborg blasted him with his sonic cannon.

All the repeated hits from the bo-staff had severely hurt Beast Boy. He was barely able to stand but he continued to fight. Shifting his form from a bear to a rhino Beast Boy charged Slade. Ramming into him full blast Beast Boy tore another piece of armor away from Slade's frame.

Slade just chuckled at Beast Boy as he jumped high into the sky. Landing on his back Slade wrapped his bo staff around Beast Boy's neck. He flipped a switch on the far end of the staff and electrical currents coursed through the staff. Pain engulfed Beast Boy's entirety as he shifted back into his human form. He violently shook as the electrical currents went through his body.

"Man, Slade's really on his game today. Where's Canyon, didn't Robin call him ten minutes ago!" Cyborg hollered as he blasted Slade again with his sonic cannons. Aiming down his sights Cyborg was going to blast him again but Slade evaded and rolled until he was face to face with Cyborg.

Slade cornered Cyborg into the nearby sky scraper and delivered a punch square into his jaw. Slade proceeded to kick and punch Cyborg until his metal plating was deeply dented. Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow something fell on his head, nearly knocking him out. Shaking his head he looked down to find a duffel bag.

"Crap, who did my bag hit? Sorry dude, didn't mean to bean you! " A voice sounded from above.

"Don't apologize! You hit Slade, that's a good thing!" Canyon's voice echoed. The next thing that happened the Titans were not expecting...happened. Three figures descended from the roof tops. The first the Titans recognized as Canyon, the other two they had no idea who they were.

The first was a tall figure with long black hair, firmly tied back into a pony tail that reached the middle of his back. He was in black Japanese samurai garb, complete with a katana and wakizashi. He was a boxy figured man with stubble lining his chin and a thin eye patch covering his right eye. From the looks of things the right side of his face was in pretty bad shape, like someone had taken a weed whacker to it.

The second they figured was Alma. She was wearing a red hoodie, with the hood up, concealing most of her face. On top of the hood she had a cowboy hat on. To make things even...weirder she had on leather chaps and matching leather cowboy boots and a crimson red bandana that covered her mouth.

Even though Cyborg and Beast Boy were injured they were still able to go completely pale. Neither could tell if it was from shock, or humiliation by being saved, by a cowboy and a samurai. Even Slade had been caught off guard by the display and it showed, he temporarily let down his guard.

It wasn't noticeable but he was laughing under his mask. Not at the costumes but rather at the situation, one of Armacham's top assassin's working hand in hand with his arch enemies. Slade had numerous dealings with Armacham in the past. In fact one could say he was their top customer for illegal tech. In return, he helped engineer the Hallowed Whisper project, actually he was the main reason for it's existence. He had given a sample of his DNA, to enhance the test subjects, his payment for such a deal...unlimited access to Armacham tech. He had helped engineer all thirty of the inducted children, so naturally he knew all of them... to a degree. "_Agent 27, it's been a while this should be fun." _Slade thought as he faced the samurai and the cowboy.

Starfire had noticed it first but Slade had let down his guard. She took the chance and delivered a fatal punch charged with energy to his abdomen. It knocked Slade down, the attack had all but shattered the last of his heavy armor and did minor damage to his stomach. It healed quickly though. His regenerative abilities in full swing.

Standing up he let out a low hiss and smacked Starfire to his side, not one of his better ideas. First Beast Boy tackled Slade down in his bear form, next Canyon charged and delivered a deep slash with his claymore to Slade's side and finally Paul impaled him with his katana. Slade cringed in pain at the deep wounds but simply threw all three away from him, his body regenerating by the second.

Slade wasn't given long to recover. Both Raven and Alma charged their psychic energies and blasted him with darkness and inferno. He somehow managed to dodge most the attack but it had hit him. thinking over his attack plan, Slade began to retreat into the heart of the narrow alley.

"Go after him...but no weapons...We'll be right behind you." Robin groaned as he tried to sit up. Raven and Starfire went to his side. Raven began to heal his wounds telepathically while StarFire comforted him.

"No can do chief, I fight with my katana, always!" Paul stated as he Canyon, Cyborg and Alma began to chase after Slade. As they disappeared into the alley Robin forced himself to stand. He could tell right off the bat that he wasn't going to like this new guy. He was reckless and he didn't care about fatally injuring someone, it was a recipe for disaster.

Running down the long alley Slade looked behind him. For the moment only Agent 27 had kept pace with him. Stopping mid way he fought back. Slade was relentless and met all of Paul's attacks, his bo staff clanging against katana.

"So good to see you again, 27. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me, you never call, never write, never send an email...you wound me, after all you were enhanced with my DNA, friend."

"I'm not your friend...get that straight right now." Paul hissed as his katana tore a wound open on Slade's chest. Some blood splattered on Paul as he cut another part of Slade's chest. Before he could deliver another blow Slade kicked him in the chin and sent flying backwards. As Paul recovered from the kick the others arrived.

"Paul, you alright Laddie?" Paul shook his head and spat out some blood.

"I think that bastard had dog crap on his boot and he smeared it on my chin!" Paul growled as he and Canyon charged Slade. Slade was able to deflect Canyon's claymore but didn't anticipate for him to crack his leg with his dirk. As he reeled in pain from his leg, Paul impaled him again! Forcing the katana deep in his chest Slade pulled Paul close and whispered hoarsely

"You think you have won 27, but I know that you're here for the pyro. You will betray them and they will shun you... so no matter what, 27, you have lost." Once Slade had finished delivering his fatal warning he wrenched the katana from his chest and threw Paul to the ground.

Cyborg caught him and simultaneously blasted Slade with another sonic blast. Raven, Starfire, and Alma joined in and continually hurled charged energy bolts at Slade. Maneuvering around most of the attacks he smirked.

"You keep interesting company Titans. After Terra's betrayal, I thought you would learn, I suppose I was wrong. Remember this, betrayal is the flip side of trust, so trust wisely."

"That was different, Canyon and Alma are good people, they've..." Robin began to say but Slade cut him off.

"Are they now...playing with fire, one can easily be burned. Playing with a traitor however will end up getting everyone you hold dear... killed. Those are my parting words, Robin... I pray you learn from them." Slade hissed as he threw down smoke pellets and disappeared entirely.

Once the smoke cleared Paul cleaned the blood from his sword with a silk cloth and smiled.

"Konichwa Titans it's an honor to make your acquaintance." Paul stated with a deep bow. Robin glared at him, blood covered a good portion of his kimono. It was wrong, this teenager believed he had the right to kill, it was disgusting.

"You tried killing someone, I can't forgive that, even if it was Slade." Robin hissed as he spat. Paul only narrowed his eyes and stated harshly.

"Then it's a good thing that I'm not looking for your forgiveness, isn't it." Setting his jaw Robing could tell that he was not going to get along with Paul, not one bit. As the two stared coldly at one another the other Titans were torn between trusting Canyon's friend the samurai or shunning him.


	11. Sparring with the Boy Wonder

**Disclaimer: Wgreen and I don't own the Teen Titans, or any of the guest cameos in this chapter. Nor do we own **_**Inheritance**_**; that belongs to Christopher Paolini.**

Paul rolled to the side, dodging a blow to the head. _Stupid spiky haired spike head_ Paul thought, _if I didn't hold back I'd have wiped that smirk off his face. _Paul countered a jab to the chest with an overhead flip and delivered a kick to Robin's backside, sending him crashing to the floor.

If only he didn't have to warm up to the Titans. If only he could just get this mission over with he wanted to get in, get out, and move on. Alas, fate, it seemed, had other plans. Robin hated his use of weapons; so how does Paul get Robin to warm up to him? Agree to a three hour training session where Robin had a bo-staff and Paul could only use martial arts.

In the blink of an eye, Robin was up on his feet and twirled around, swinging his bo-staff at a downward slant. The blow hit Paul on his right forearm, and made him lose balance and stumble back. Robin didn't let up as he swung his bo-staff to and fro, jabbing, swiping, twisting. A blow to Paul's left rib cage was followed up by a swift uppercut to the chin.

Paul retaliated with a chop towards Robin's left kneecap, which was barely dodged. Sweat dripped from his brows as he launched a kick at Robin's gut. The kick was caught and Robin was about to fling him when Paul used his momentum and kicked hard with his other leg.

The attack caught Robin unaware, connecting with his left leg and forcing him to drop Paul. Breathing heavily, Robin leaned on his bo-staff as he tried to stand up, ignoring the fiery pain that seared from where he had been hit. Circling his opponent, albeit with a limp, Robin bought his bo-staff to bare, ready for when Paul made his move.

It came quicker than expected. A flurry of fists and feet forced Robin to back up and take a defensive stance while Paul continued his onslaught. _Where is he getting all this energy? _ Robin thought as he continued to dodge blows. Once he had analyzed a pattern in Paul's barrage, Robin sidestepped and countered with a blow to the back of Paul's legs. Surprisingly, Paul only stumbled. He then turned around with a high kick that just missed Robin's head as the Boy Wonder ducked and launched an uppercut, sending Paul soaring into the air and hitting the wall behind him.

Paul dusted himself off and got into a fighting stance when a buzzer went off, signaling the end of the match, which had no clear winner. Both warriors were battered, bruised, Paul had some blood dripping from a cut in his lip, with Robin had parts of his uniform ripped. Both had sweat cascading off them and were nearly out of breath.

With a grin on his face, Robin walked over to Paul placed a hand on his right shoulder, and commented on how execellent his martial arts was, and paul asked if Robin would agree to teach him a few moves later. Robin agreed, and, as friends, they left the Training Room.

While Robin's respect and trust for Paul grew, he was still cautious around him. Something seemed… off. Robin couldn't tell if it was his detective instincts, or him just being paranoid, but something about the samurai unnerved him. _Maybe it's the fact he was willing to kill Slade_ the leader of the Titans thought as they proceeded to the Common Room.

"Friends! You have finished your sparring, yes?" Starfire inquired. She was floating in the kitchen, cooking some sort of Tamaranian dish, which looked like green jello with pink icing and decorated with cherries. Currently, said dish was about to enter the oven, which had some of the Titans worried. After all, Star had once made a salad and nearly burnt down the kitchen doing it. Raven was observing her from the couch.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were fighting Alma and Canyon on the Gamestation, the game being _Super Ultimate Anime Clash!_; currently, it seemed Alma was winning as Canyon's character stood off to the side, ready to join the fray when needed.

"Dude! Inyuasha never does that in the show!" a despaired Beast Boy cried.

"I told you Yu-Yu Hakasho was hard to play as, green bean!" Cyborg commented.

"Alma," Canyon said, "let me get in, I want to give Alucard a test run."

"Not until I'm done whipping this boy's arse!" Alma franticly replied, furiously tapping on the controller. Suddenly, the screen went blue and red as Inyuasha lifted up his sword, shouted, and unleashed a super power attack which cut through Yu-Yu Hakasho and forced Cyborg's character, Father Able Nightroad, on the stage.

"Switch!" Alma chanted as Canyon's character joined.

"I'm going Crusnik on your puny butt!" Cyborg jeered.

"No, I'm going to Level Zero your gut, tin man!" Canyon replied icily.

While Alma and Beast Boy cheered on their respective allies, Robin dashed over to the kitchen to try and help Starfire while Paul went to watch the game.

Rain began to pummel the windows as a harsh breeze began to blow.

"So much for a tour of town later," Paul mumbled under his breath. He had been looking forward to spending time with Alma and Canyon while being away from the Titans. Just some time with them, time to relax and try to ease his mind off the mission at hand. Raven turned towards him, gave a curious glance, then went back to reading _Inheritance_.

Paul was a mystery to Raven. The various emotions she sensed from him were strong, and made it hard to concentrate, even while reading such an excellent book. She did her best to ignore them and read, but she'd question him later. If she got the chance.

From the TV a voice echoed, "Level Zero initiated," followed by a choir and orchestra. Alucard's hair grew down to his waist, his red suit replaced by shiny, black armor, Somewhere in the background, a horse reared. The sunglasses dropped out of sight as a feral look took over Alucard's face. The music grew louder as he laughed and then died down. The same, harsh voice then uttered, "I am your doom!"

Cyborg's face went pale. "What the hell? Super Alucard?"

"No, Dracula in his true form," Canyon chuckled. "Or Vlad the Impaler, if you want to be formal…"

"Dracula was based off Vlad, though." Cyborg stated.

"In the Hellsing universe, Dracula and Vald were one and the same." Canyon informed his metallic friend. "Now, bow before the King of Vampires!"

"Well, time to unleash Crusnik level one hundred percent," Cyborg growled.

The transformation took place, with another chorus and great orchestra. In the end, the two behemoths, the envy of vampires, stood facing one another.

"This shall be a battle of the Ages!" Canyon roared excitedly.

"Can I get in next round?" Paul asked. "I want to play as Kenshin…. If that's alright."

"Sure," Alma replied, "this is the last round anyways."

As the vampires duked it out on screen, Raven was just finishing _Inheritance_. As her eyes graced the final words, a faint smile crept onto her face. _A wonderful ending to a great series_, Raven thought as she closed the book. "Cayon," Raven called out, "I finished _Inheritance_."

"We'll have to talk about it sometime, then!" came the nervous reply.

Raven smiled. She had scared him good. _Serves him right for what happened in the hallway _Raven thought. Though, if it affected his performance in their missions, they'd _really _have to talk. He knew she would never really cause any serious damage to him… right? The thought egged at the back of her mind as she struggled to keep it from overcoming her thoughts. Why was he on her mind? "I need to meditate" Raven stated to nobody in particular, getting up at leaving through the sliding doors, heading down the hallway towards her room.

Paul wondered how he'd get Raven to open up to him. "Nightroad wins!" Alma cheered.

"Nice victory, Cyborg," Paul said, clasping his friend on the back. "Hold a spot for me, I'll be back in a little bit."

Canyon and Alma shrugged; this wasn't the first time Paul had suddenly changed his mind. "Rematch?" Alma challenged.

"The match is so on!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Paul sauntered down the hallway, strode to where he remembered Raven's room was, and slowly knocked, lightly at first, then harder.

The sound of Raven's chanting stopped. Paul gulped, and the door slid open ever so slightly.

**Next up, Paul tries to get Raven to warm up to him! Startling secrets revealed! Cyborg becomes Pope!**

**-Preview-**

**Alma strode closer, the Boy Wonder gazing at her with a look of shock on his face. "No, Robin, I am your Father."**

**Thus Robin fainted.**


	12. In Which Sadie Kane announces a rewrite

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, the Kane Chronicles, or F.E.A.R., just FYI.**

Somewhere, in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness…

"Um, hello?" Alma asked quietly. Not getting a response, she waved her arms frantically, and yelled, "anybody there?"

"Time to get back to work," a mysterious voice said.

"…God?" Alma wondered.

"No…. Sadie Kane here. Blood Sisters will get a new chapter," Sadie said.

"Yes!" Alma cheered, pumping an excited fist in the air.

"But first, it is being… rewritten. I shall see you either Monday or Tuesday, when Raven of Alaska gets the rewritten Chapter One up. Or not, since I'm not in this story or, you know, if Apophis destroys the world."

"I don't want to change!" Alma exclaimed.

"I'm moving over to _The Hallowed Whisper_," Paul said, appearing out of nowhere.

"No you don't, Paulie!" Alma gasped, tackling him.

Sadie Kane shook her head and sighed. "Enjoy reading the rewritten Blood Sisters. This version will disappear, and like a phoenix, be reborn… or swallowed by Apophis. Cheers mates!"


End file.
